''Chasing a Dream'' (working title ''Miles From Nowhere'')
is a made-for-television movie. Filmed in the Ventura County area of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, the movie premiered on

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies ...

on April 25, 2009, and stars Andrew Lawrence and

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor, writer and aviator who has appeared on film, stage and television in over 120 credits. He first became well known for his starring role in the 1979 musical film ''Hair'', and lat ...

. Most of the school scenes were filmed at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, California. The logos, mascot (Golden Cougars), uniforms, and signage were all the official items for the school.

Plot

Senior high school football star Cameron is traumatized when his best friend is killed in a car accident that he feels responsible for. When Cam learns that his best friend (a track star) was working on breaking the

sub-four minute mile A four-minute mile is the completion of a mile run (1609 m) in four minutes or less. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister, at age 25, in 3:59.4. As of April 2021, the "four-minute barrier" has been broken by 1,663 athletes, and is n ...

, he decides to honor his friend’s memory by accomplishing the goal for him. Cam is met with strong opposition from his football coach and father Gary, who feels he's throwing his sports opportunities away. The father-son disagreement begins to tear the family apart, but Cam continues to pursue his goal, hoping to put his friend’s memory to rest at last.

Cast

as Gary Stiles * Joanna Going as Diane Stiles * Andrew Lawrence as Cam Stiles * Kevin Kilner as Lou, the track coach * Jake McLaughlin as John Van Horn

Filming locations

The track sequences and high school scenes were filmed on location at Royal High School in

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. T ...

. Some of the running scenes where Cam jogs along the street were filmed on the street outside the Larry Levinson studios, also located in

. The party scene was filmed in the parking lot of the studio.

Critical reception

A reviewer at BlogCritics had mixed feelings about the film. ''Star Magazine'' gave it 3 stars, saying that "Lawrence and Williams capture the father-son tension" well, and that Lawrence's performance is "moving." The magazine concludes: "This straightforward drama packs a strong emotional punch." Most of the school scenes were filmed at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, California. The logos, mascot (Golden Cougars), uniforms, and signage were all the official items for the school.

References

External links

*
''Chasing a Dream''
at

''Chasing a Dream''
at