I heard
someone say that this film was made for high school U.S. history classrooms,
and that description feels pretty accurate. While the true story it tells is both
important and compelling, the movie itself feels a little by-the-numbers, hitting
all the various marks for a sports biopic/racial inequality historical film
without – for the most part – letting any of it hit home. (Also, the title
is totally on-the-nose. As in, so on-the-nose, it could practically
be a parody title.)
Jesse
Owens heads to Ohio State University with big ambitions. As the first person in his family to go to
college, he wants to do well, and he wants to earn enough to support his
girlfriend and daughter. He also wants
to run. His impressive showing on the
track impresses Larry Snyder, the school’s coach who’s in a slump and is ready
for a big winner. As Jesse trains and
his star begins to rise, Snyder has him looking toward the 1936 Olympics in
Berlin, but the looming menace of the Hitler regime makes many question whether
it’s right for Jesse to go at all.
It’s
hard to put my finger on why this film doesn’t quite measure up for me. The acting is good, it has an interesting
story to tell, and the period setting is well-realized. But something feels off. It feels staid, like we’re watching it unfold
at arm’s length. Much of the problem is
down to the fact that, while it’s Jesse’s story, it’s not exactly his
narrative. I feel like we don’t have
much of a chance to get into his head and see what makes him tick, to understand
why he loves running, how he’s affected by the discrimination he experiences,
or what he thinks of his celebrity status.
It’s
not down to Stephan James (Selma,)
who does a fine job. Whenever the film
gives him a chance to provide a little insight into Jesse – when he’s angry or
determined or cocky or overjoyed – the movie comes alive for a few minutes and
becomes really engaging. Much of the time,
however, it’s like the film isn’t all that interested in Jesse as a person,
which is perplexing.
The
best extended sequence of the film is when they actually get to Berlin and we
see all that goes down there. There are
the competitions, of course, in which the suspense comes through even though
history’s already told us the outcomes, but there’s more to be explored as
well. I’m interested in the dichotomy of
American Olympics officials who desperately need Jesse as their star runner but
at the same time treat him with contempt, calling him “boy” and giving him segregated
accommodations; it seems so paradoxical that they would recognize his use but not his worth – does that make sense?
I also like seeing the Americans struggle with the tightrope of competing
in Nazi Germany and reminders that not all Germans felt the same way about
Hitler.
In
addition to James, plenty of other familiar faces to be had. Jason Sudeikis does well with the relatively
archetypal Snyder; the character’s dynamic with Jesse is great. The film also features Carice van Houten (Melisandre
from Game of Thrones,) Jeremy Irons,
William Hurt, David Cross from The Reader,
Tony Curran (van Gogh from series 5 of Who,)
Barnaby Metschurat (Tobias from The
Spanish Apartment) as an incredibly icy Joseph Goebbels, Tim McInnerny
(Percy!), and Glynn Turman (Mayor Royce from The Wire.) Phew!
Warnings
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