Prefontaine: Critic Reviews

Disappointingly colorless and squeaky-clean.

The Super-16mm film stock gives the film a grainy look that blends in artfully with the vintage videotape of ABC's '72 Olympics coverage.

Here is a sports movie in the tradition of the best sportswriting, where athletes are portrayed warts and all. You do not have to be nice to win races, but you have to be good.

Prefontaine gets to the finish line in reasonable shape despite plenty of sloppy running along the way.

Even through Prefontaine's obviousness, we feel its force.

James tries too hard to bring closure to Pre's life, and, as a result, strays a little too far into melodrama. The tearful reminiscences at the end, not to mention some of the stuff at the funeral, lay it on thickly.

Though it is always pleasant and agreeable, this film has the bland and undemanding texture that characterizes movies made for network TV.

Steve Prefontaine must have been something special -- everyone says so -- but there's no magic on the screen.

A touching, poignant movie with a great performance by Leto

With its moving final scenes and well-developed subject, the story of Steve Prefontaine is a decidedly well-told American tale.

One of the better sports movies to come from Hollywood in recent years.

Nothing more than a glorified, profanity-sprinkled made-for-TV movie, from the cast right down to the shallow treatment of its subject.

Now Steve Prefontaine can be immortalized for the complex and shining star that he was.

Leto is the greatest beneficiary of these moments, seizing upon the opportunity to convincingly capture Prefontaine's egotistical, enigmatic, obsessive, charismatic personality even when the script fails to do so.

A runner learns some invaluable lessons from his defeat in the Olympics.

The film is refreshingly unsentimental, intelligent, and compelling (the race scenes areparticularly effective: even if you know the outcomes, these function as mini-dramas in themselves).

Ultimately, the script doesn't give us any real insights into Prefontaine's prickly personality or show us why he needed to prove himself.

The by-the-numbers athlete story is interesting, but leaves no lasting impression.

Steve James knows his film-making, whether the subject is fact or fiction.