Jessie Owens lived a remarkable life. He grew up in a hard time for anyone, living through The Great Depression. Those hardships were only amplified by the treatment of African Americans at the time. He was already a father by the time he went to college*. He was a truly gifted athlete who still didn't get respect on his own campus. He had to be a role model for the black community and then America as a whole by the time he made it to the Olympics. When trying to tell his story, it's understandable for anyone to be overwhelmed by the idea of doing it all justice. Race attempts to do it all anyway.
*I'm going by the movie's take. Perusing Wikipedia has me questioning some of the timeline.
My biggest fear when watching any historical sports movie it that it will be generic. The details of Jackie Robinson's, or Ernie Davis', or the 1965 Texas Western Basketball Team's, or Jessie Owens' story will be different, but the beats can be rigidly formulaic. For the first hour or so, Race blasts through every single cliche of the sub genre. Jessie, played ably by Stephan James, leaves for college with nothing more than his only shirt and a coat his mama made with the last of her money. He has a girl and a kid that he's got to do right by. He has a coach (Jason Sudeikis) who's basically the inverse of the "black sage" archetype (Think, The Legend of Bagger Vance). There's the token racist players and coaches on campus. Obviously, there's going to be a meet where the white powers-at-be try to deny Jessie his win and another athlete who's setup as his main rival (spoiler alert: they become friends by the end). They even manage to squeeze in an injury scare and a bunch of romantic drama. Let's not forget about the moment when Jessie realizes he's a role model and a symbol for something greater than himself. And, Jason Sudeikis as the coach - you guessed it - he had the same Olympic dreams as Jessie and a conveniently-timed drinking problem to boot. All the inspirational speeches come straight from a "How To" book for period sports movie speeches.
Meanwhile, there's a side story about the American Olympic Committee, represented by Jeremy Irons, trying to prevent the US from boycotting the 1936 Berlin Olympics, while getting assurances from the Nazis that they won't be so mean to Jews, black people, or really anyone at all. This, of course, is filled with Nazi Germany's greatest hits, like Jews being rounded up and cameos from familiar leaders (most notably Barnaby Metschurat as Joseph Gobbles). It's all so lifeless, like they're checking off boxes.
Then, something happens. Jessie gets to Germany for the Olympics and the whole tone changes. In Berlin, that's a movie I enjoyed watching. While a lot of the tropes were still there, suddenly they were all more focused. Jessie walking onto the field for the first time does a great job showing the magnitude of the stage he is on. His story collides with Jeremy Irons' and you appreciate the diplomatic chess match that is being played. The Long Jump competition between Jessie and Luz Long (David Kross) is handled with an authenticity that Jessie's prior rivalries lacked. Even the controversy that got him into the 400m relay was handled in a way that felt right. I'd've loved to see the version of this movie set entirely during the Olympics, with maybe the occasional flashback for context, because the Olympics were the only part in which director Stephen Hopkins seemed engaged. That part doesn't suddenly make Race a great movie, but it certainly make it a much better movie.
Watching Race reminded me of having to eat my vegetables as a kid before I could get to dessert. To finish off the metaphor, in Race's case, I know that I have to eat the vegetables first, but I feel like my mom gave me way too many of them. Maybe I wouldn't've minded eating the vegetables so much if she warmed up the peas first or put a little salt on them for taste. As is, by the time I got to my dessert, I was so full already, that I had trouble appreciating the - I don't know. What's an Olympic food? - Neapolitan ice cream.
They assembled a solid cast for this. Stephan James is young and has some things to learn, but he's solid, and likely to work plenty more in the future. Sudeikis shows some shades I haven't seen before. Both actors are able to rise to the occasion when the material allows. The smaller roles are rounded out by a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces like Amanda Crew (Silicon Valley), Eli Goree (The 100), Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones), Williams Hurt, and the aforementioned Jeremy Irons. The direction and design are very practical and not at all adventurous. I could sense the CGI effects more often than I'd like.
If I'm being honest, my many issues with the first 2 acts of the movie get in the way of my appreciation of the final act too much for me to say I liked it. This is a movie for people who really want to see a Jessie Owens movie and, really, no one else.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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