In coastal Seattle, Washington, Drew Jacobs (Kelly Blatz) is a high school runner with a deadbeat mom and an older brother with a spotty record. At first we learn that something happened to their father when they were kids, but this along with many other personal pieces of information about the protagonists, are omitted. Right as Drew decides to quit running for good, the former record-holding coach Coleman (Richard Jenkins) offers to train Drew for the 1-mile race, with the hopes that he can achieve the coveted, challenging, 4-minute mile.
Like any sports drama, 4 Minute Mile balances between time spent training, progressively getting better, mixed with personal life at home. Unfortunately, both storylines take a while to get going. There is a lot of redundant back and forth before Drew finally agrees to train. For the first half of the movie, at the end of every scene Drew says he quits, then comes back soon after by his own will or through Coleman’s wisdom. Meanwhile, his home life is a little confusing. There’s a romance with Lisa (Analeigh Tipton) that plays out well but rather conventionally. The confusing part is what is going on with his mother and brother. His mother is clearly traumatized or lost but it’s never made clear why, other than the dad who is missing for undisclosed reasons. She falls to her son, Drew’s older brother Wes (Cam Gigandet), who forces his brother to go on “runs,” presumably carrying drugs or money, but this is unfortunately left vague and unexplained. His real purpose as a character is to show what Drew could end up like if he doesn’t follow through with running. A little more specificity behind his actions could have gone a long way in making their situation more empathetic and grounded.
Richard Jenkins is given a fun role of playing the Mr. Miyagi of running.
Richard Jenkins is given a fun role of playing the Mr. Miyagi of running. That homage is not just an allusion; the film makes a direct reference to the similarly structured classic The Karate Kid. Like Miyagi, Coach Coleman has a troubled past of his own, and through helping Drew, is able to get more on track, though his full storyline is never realized.
Pacing is one of the biggest issues that the movie faces. Some parts are very rushed, especially the back stories noted about of the main characters. Other parts, such as the decision to train, go on for a bit too long. Finding a bit more evenness would elevate the film significantly.
Regardless, the film builds to a very strong, unconventional conclusion. In fact, the last ten minutes may make the entire film worthwhile, using evocative visual cuts between two places to build suspense, then finishing with a surprising last look at our character’s future. Visually, the film is on point at all times, capturing the raw beauty of coastal Seattle and giving us a real sense of the neighborhood where these characters live. 4 Minute Mile many not be the best sports drama to come this way, but it has prominent moments of enjoyment scattered throughout the runtime. After debuting at the Seattle Film Festival in June, film is now available to purchase on iTunes and will be in select theaters shortly.
