''Saint Ralph'' is a 2004 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael McGowan. Its central character is a teenage boy who trains for the 1954

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

in the hope a victory will be the miracle his mother needs to awaken from a coma. The film premiered at the

2004 Toronto International Film Festival The 29th Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 9 through September 18. The festival screened 328 films of which 253 were features and 75 were shorts (148 of the films screened were in a language other than English). Awards No fi ...

and was given a theatrical release in 2005.

Plot

Ralph Walker is a teenager attending a

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

in Hamilton, Ontario. His father was killed in World War II and his mother is hospitalized with an unidentified illness. Ralph is naturally prone to mischief and often finds himself an outcast among his classmates. He tries to emulate the conduct of grown ups, and is caught smoking cigarettes and masturbating by headmaster Father Fitzpatrick. Already labeled a troublemaker, Ralph is forced to join the school's cross country team to relieve him of his excess energy. When Ralph's mother falls into a coma, he is told it will take a miracle for her to survive. When running coach Father Hibbert, a former world class marathoner who was forced to quit running when he injured his knee, claims it would be a miracle if a member of his team won the

, Ralph decides to train for it in the hope his victory would fulfill the miracle needed to save his mother's life. At first, Ralph cannot even keep up with his teammates in practice. He reads books to learn about running, uses the new techniques, and gradually improves. Father Hibbert decides to train him despite disapproval from Father Fitzpatrick. Ralph begins to win the respect of his classmates, and eventually earns the attention of the local media when he wins a prestigious regional race. When Father Fitzpatrick learns Ralph intends to run the Boston Marathon, he threatens to expel him if he participates, as well as remove Father Hibbert from the priesthood should he try to interfere. Both Ralph and his mentor must then decide how deeply they believe in miracles, and what is possible when a person risks everything without promise of success. Both he and Father Hibbert defy Father Fitzpatrick and decide to go to Boston. Ralph ends up winning second place after a close race with the previous year's winner and gives the medal to his mother who wakes up from her coma.

Cast

Adam Butcher Adam Butcher (born October 20, 1988) is a Canadian actor. Early life Born in Cambridge, Ontario, Butcher has an older sister, actress Mandy Butcher. Butcher started acting at the age of nine when his aunt (a talent agent) and uncle (a stu ...

as Ralph Walker * Campbell Scott as George Hibbert * Gordon Pinsent as Father Fitzpatrick * Jennifer Tilly as Nurse Alice * Shauna MacDonald as Emma Walker * Tamara Hope as Claire Collins *

Michael Kanev Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

as Chester Jones *

Chris Ploszczansky Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

as Hulk * Jeff Baxter as Cattana *

Daniel Karasik Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

as Bolan

Production

The film was shot on location in Cambridge, Hamilton, and Toronto. The song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen is performed by Gord Downie. After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was shown at the

Portland International Film Festival PAM CUT–Center for an Untold Tomorrow, formerly the ''Northwest Film Center'' is a regional media arts resource and service organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States that was founded to encourage the study, appreciation, and utili ...

, the Festival du Film d'Aventures de Valenciennes and the Paris Film Festival before opening in Canada on April 8, 2005.

Critical reception

In his review in '' The New York Times'',

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

said, "This crude, inspirational tear-jerker is as sweet as a bowl of instant oatmeal smothered in molasses." Sean Axmaker of the '' Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' thought the "conventionally heartwarming underdog drama doesn't miss a cliche." He continued, "The climactic race footage is well directed... and the understated period detail adds to the charm, but the route is painfully familiar and the obstacles are as contrived as the clunky performances. The exception is Scott, whose sensitive turn as a priest inspired by Ralph's conviction and commitment gives the film a touch of grace at the cost of revealing McGowan's drab direction of every other actor. Yet there is something inherently rousing in the finale, no matter how hackneyed, as if his conviction ultimately holds its own against the cliches." In the '' Austin Chronicle'', Marrit Ingman rated the film two stars and called it "very conventional in its characterizations and narrative." He added, "The movie does have two things going for it (besides Tilly in a nurse’s uniform). One is its brisk, sunny aplomb. It zips right along in cheerful montages and abbreviated scenes, divided by intertitles announcing the feasts of saints. The second is Butcher, who seems to be something like the masculine Amanda Bynes of Canada: goofy and authentically youthful but remarkably assured onscreen... The film isn't going to catapult Butcher to international stardom, but he holds his own in it and helps to sell its curious logic."

Award and nominations

* Genie Award for Best Motion Picture (nominee) * Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Adam Butcher, nominee) * Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Campbell Scott and Gordon Pinsent, nominees) * Genie Award for Best Achievement in Costume Design (Anne Dixon, nominee) * Canadian Screenwriting Award for Best Feature Film (Michael McGowan, winner)Writers Guild of Canada website
/ref> *Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature (Rene Ohashi, nominee) * Directors Guild of Canada Award for Outstanding Achievement in Direction of a Feature Film (Michael McGowan, winner) *Directors Guild of Canada Award for Outstanding Team Achievement in a Family Feature Film (winner) *Directors Guild of Canada Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production Design for a Feature Film (Matthew Davies, nominee) *London Canadian Film Festival Audience Award (winner) *Paris Film Festival Grand Prix Award (winner) * Young Artist Award for Best International Family Feature Film (winner) *Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Leading Young Actor (Adam Butcher, nominee) *Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Supporting Young Actor (Michael Kanev, nominee)

References

External links

* {{Michael McGowan 2004 films 2000s coming-of-age comedy-drama films 2000s sports comedy-drama films Canadian sports comedy-drama films Canadian coming-of-age comedy-drama films English-language Canadian films Boston Marathon Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario Films directed by Michael McGowan Films scored by Andrew Lockington Films set in 1954 2004 comedy films 2004 drama films Films set in Ontario Films set in Boston Films shot in Toronto 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films