not horrible nor great

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The movie is set at a Catholic boarding school in Hamilton, Ontario, and recounts the story of a young kid who seeks a miracle to help his mom who is in a coma. The miracle he selects is highly improbable, winning the Boston Marathon. Many obstacles are placed in his path, not the least being his youth and his authoritarian headmaster. What happens in the race must remain hidden to you. Don't even THINK about reading a review with a spoiler alert.Others have said it. I will reiterate it. Saint Ralph (2004) will make you laugh and make you cry. An early scene, followed by what is best described as sight-gag scenes based on it, will have you laughing. The climactic scene, accompanied by a song that must have been selected by a genius, will have you in tears no matter who you are. Laugh and cry...really, what more can a movie do? Well, in this case, a lot.Every aspect of the movie justifies its overwhelmingly favorable IMDb rating. The cinematography is crisp and colorful. The settings are perfect. The acting is superb. The musical selections are ideal.Fourteen year-old Adam Butcher, who plays the lead role as Ralph, is just superb. You couldn't find a more likable young actor in all of Canada. (Adam would go on to even greater acting achievements, most notably in Dog Pound in which he powerfully plays the role of a disaffected and temper-prone teen trying to survive in a juvenile detention facility...another must-see.) The other characters in Saint Ralph are excellent as well, especially Gordon Pinsent as the headmaster and Gordon Campbell as the priest who coaches Ralph.The bottom line is this. The acting in this film holds your interest from start to finish. The musical selections are extraordinarily fitting. The movie spans the spectrum of human emotions. And, most importantly, the movie leaves you feeling fulfilled.

Subtle, delicate and strong movie. About the ordinary pieces of life, about the forms of believes and the colors of miracles. An experience and good exercise for self-definition. A boy and a gray world . The solution is basic. The steps are parts of a competition for be not only the winner but the master of hope. And so, God is more a myth or a lesson, or a far fly. Adam Butcher is perfect option as Ralph and Campbell Scott, with his autumn air - final part of this circle. Vision about religion and surviving, about duty and courage, about metamorphosis of a small universe as fruit of touch of a teenager, " Saint Ralph" is , in fact, recipes for to be yourself. A nice story and a small map.

This film is a captivating coming of age story about a young boy named Ralph and his search for a miracle so that his mother will come out of her coma. Ralph is a boy trying to figure his place in life while getting into embarrassing situations that all preteens and teens can relate to.While Ralph's mother is hospitalized she slips into a coma and the nurse tells Ralph that it would take a miracle for his mother to recover. This sends Ralph on his journey in search for a miracle. He soon finds it when he is told that it would be a miracle for anyone from his cross-country team to win the Boston marathon. Ralph's purpose then becomes to train and win the Boston marathon.Ralph's naive behavior is endearing and is one of the main reasons why you cheer for him throughout his struggle. While faced with being the awkward kid in his class and someone every just pokes fun at Ralph learns and grows into a character filled with depth.This may seem like any other sports film where you follow the underdog, it is done in such a unique way, that you are aching to see the outcome. Witt is placed throughout the film through dialog and situations, which allow the film's serious undertone to vanish, even if for a few seconds.One of the details that I love about this film is the use of the saints. The film is broken down into different chapters, which are titled by the saint that they represent, such as the saint of fire prevention. This detail becomes more humorous the second time the film is seen. Even though the religious aspect is a little in your face, it is necessary to the film. You are able to sympathize with Ralph, who is trying to understand religion and his place in the world, by better understanding the religious and political pressures that the priests are forcing onto young Ralph.This is one of the few sports films that is not just about the sport. In fact, the sport has very little to do with the film. The film is mainly about Ralph and the lessons he learns growing up his town, which allows this sports film to reach a deeper level that can be enjoyed by sports lovers and non-sports lovers alike.

When i bought the DVD i had never heard of this picture. I didn't know if it was going to be good or bad. I just wanted to see a movie about running.I just saw saint ralph for the fourth time and i gotte confess this movie is better more inspiring than Chariots of fire. Alright, it is no rocky but yet, it never tries to be. And this is why it works. Sometimes it is very good that a movie does not take itself too seriously. I mean, the story is not very realistic. And I'm not talking about whether it is possible that a boy can whin the marathon or not, I'm talking about Ralhp. What Child would behave like Ralph does, when his mother is on the edge of death??? But that doesn't matter, because saint ralph actually is at no time a drama, it is always satisfied with being a comedy. Thus it rises from a comedy and becomes an inspiring story at times, and when it doesn't you don't really care, cause you're not looking at it as a drama, but as a comedy. In the end it is 8/10 in every aspect. The acting, the dialouge, the soundtrack, and the directing. No outstanding achievement but always definitely above average.