‘Prefontaine’ Surprisingly Entertaining

Could a movie about a distance runner with Olympic dreams who went to the University of Oregon possibly be interesting?

I must admit I went to “Prefontaine” with a tad bit of cynicism, but the quasi-documentary about the short life of track star Steve Prefontaine is easily as exciting, thoughtful and thrilling as anything fictional that Hollywood has to offer.

True, distance running can’t compete with basketball and football as the glamour sports of movies, but with a story like this one, it doesn’t matter.

Prefontaine, as portrayed by this movie, was one of those characters that critics would argue wasn’t realistic enough if he was in a fictional movie. But in this case, it was the real thing.

He dreamt of Olympic glory from the moment he thought it was possible and he always knew that he would win a race, no matter how high the odds against him.

While it doesn’t necessarily serve as the climax of the movie, easily the best scene in the film is Prefontaine’s Olympic race in Munich, Germany. It was built up as the moment he had been dreaming of and the possible culmination of a wonderful story.

The actual race scene is extremely suspenseful and goes to show it doesn’t take several million dollars to keep an audience on the edge of its seat.

The actor who plays Prefontaine is virtual unknown Jared Leto. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a movie before, but I’m certainly looking forward to his next effort. He plays this complex and multi-faceted character with an ease that adds immensely to the film.

The supporting cast is excellent as well. With the exception of Ed O’Neill and Lindsay Crouse, they are as unknown as Leto, but just as good.

While some biographical documentaries make the mistake of presenting only the subject’s life and nothing else, this one certainly doesn’t. I couldn’t possibly list them all, but some of the other topics include the Arab terrorists at the 1976 Olympic Games and the hypocrisy of the Olympic committee.

The movie also doesn’t stop at one-dimensionally presenting Prefontaine’s running career.

It covers nearly every aspect of his life, from his friendships and jealousies to his arrogance and fears. These aspects combine to make a movie that is much better than any fiction writer could create.

It may not be as exciting as “Dante’s Peak,” as glamorous as “Evita,” or as suspenseful as “Scream,” but if you go to “Prefontaine” with an open mind, you’ll probably enjoy it just as much as any of those three. Heck, you might even learn something.

Grade: A