Prefontaine

PG-13

Released Jan 24, 1997

1 hr. 47 min.

Biography

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56%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Olympic defeat matures a selfish distance runner (Jared Leto) into a sports activist before his 1975 death in a car crash.

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joe n

Very inspirational and gut wrenchingly sad. Pre wasn't fighting for himself he was fighting for every runner after him. The first one through the wall always gets the bloodiest and he paid with his life. Back in the day everyone looked up to his spirit and wanted to run like he did. He was so important to running that Nike erected a statue to him and his story will live forever in this movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Jared Leto plays Steve Prefontaine, the fastest runner during the 1972 Olympics Sadly he died too young at the age of 24 But he was determined to be a champion after all he'd been dreaming about this since he was 16 His whole life everyone kept telling him he was too small, his dream was too big, and that he wasn't fast enough But his coach Bill Bowerman believed in him The film is shot almost like a documentary with archival footage and face to face interviews with everyone surrounding Steve Steve would get up at dawn and practice running before work yet his mother was baffled at this passion of his This was also during protesting of the war in Vietnam You can't coach desire, people need winners, we all deserve to run our hearts out A worthy performance by Leto even if this biopic comes off as pretty standard But it focuses on a man adjusting to relative failure

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Jared Leto plays Steve Prefontaine, the fastest runner during the 1972 Olympics Sadly he died too young at the age of 24 But he was determined to be a champion after all he'd been dreaming about this since he was 16 His whole life everyone kept telling him he was too small, his dream was too big, and that he wasn't fast enough But his coach Bill Bowerman believed in him The film is shot almost like a documentary with archival footage and face to face interviews with everyone surrounding Steve Steve would get up at dawn and practice running before work yet his mother was baffled at this passion of his This was also during protesting of the war in Vietnam You can't coach desire, people need winners, we all deserve to run our hearts out A worthy performance by Leto even if this biopic comes off as pretty standard But it focuses on a man adjusting to relative failure

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Considered to be Jared Leto's breakthrough role... now you understand why he's Oscar worthy."

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Some have criticized "Prefontaine" as too bland, colorless, akin to a tv movie. Those people probably hated Rocky, The Karate Kid, and The Natural too. No, this is a well-made film, inspirational, and also received two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert. Much of the story is told as flashbacks by the people in his life, long after his death--mother, father, girlfriends, and coaches. As opposed to the Warner Brothers bio of Steve Prefontaine "Without Limits," this film makes more use of other people in "Pre's" life, especially his parents and his high-school girlfriend. No one could fault either actors' performance as the iconic "Pre." Both actors bear an uncanny resemblance to the real man, even his upright running style. Analyzing the Olympic scenes of both the real guy and the actor, its hard to distinguish the two. Prefontaine spends more time on the Olympic hostage crisis, a good lesson for those who may have forgotten or never knew what happened there. One amusing difference between the two films is the explanation for how Pre hurt his foot (requiring stiches) on the eve of his first NCAA championship meet. In "Without Limits" it resulted from some acrobatic sex with a local girl, while it was a foolish swimming stunt in "Prefontaine." Any critic must recognize "Prefontaine" as an example of the great work Jared Leto has created since this film. His version of Pre is more combative, determined than Billy Crudup's. He's not trying to win any popularity contests, although both films stress Pre's confrontational attitude with those governing amateur American athletics at the time. The film is about fighting the establishment and hypocrisy but even more about single-minded determination and not allowing any limitation to stand in the way of achievement. Lesson for life both films drive home: While winning is important, giving every things you have every second is more important. Pre was quoted prior to competing in the 5,000 meter race at the the Munich Olympics: "if it's a guts race, I'm the only one that can win." I hope the folks at The University of Oregon appreciate this film; it's a testanment to the greatness not only of Pre but also Bill Bowerman, and the whole track program. I know it sold me as the preeminent track school, the gateway to Olympic gold. It is hard to imagine such a monumental cultural impact on sport and culture coming from a track athlete, but it really happened-Nike co-founder Phil Knight compared him to Muhammed Ali, and the obvious comparison is to actor James Dean. I highly recommend this film to track and field fans and also movie-lovers who cherish true-life inspirational stories.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Robert M

It doesn't feel quite as impacting as another Steve Prefontaine movie I like known as Without Limits, but this one is still fairly and uniquely crafted and well commemorates the American runner.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/03/17

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Steve James

Director

Jared Leto

Steve Prefontaine

R. Lee Ermey

Bill Bowerman

Ed O'Neill

Bill Dellinger

Amy Locane

Nancy Alleman

Lindsay Crouse

Elfriede Prefontaine

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

The result is both too earnest and too campy.

Mar 25, 2020

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Maria Schneider

AV Club

These shortcomings prevent Prefontaine from transcending the sports-bio genre, but it's still a vigorous, passionate piece of movie-making.

Mar 25, 2020

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John Hartl

Seattle Times

The most poignant aspect of Prefontaine has to do with the title character's adjustment to relative failure.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 25, 2020

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Garth Stahl

Hartford Courant

Prefontaine's cocky competitiveness overstrides his good qualities.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 24, 2020

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David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

Prefontaine is a fascinating hero, but his experiences become a string of sports-movie clichs in the hands of filmmaker Steve James.

Rated: 1/4

Mar 24, 2020

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Dan Webster

Spokesman-Review (Washington)

Behind decent performances by R. Lee Ermey and Jared Leto as Oregon running legend Steve Prefontaine, James manages to capture a feeling of reality that augments this tearful, yet stirring, tale of a great athlete who dies young.

Mar 24, 2020

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Synopsis

Olympic defeat matures a selfish distance runner (Jared Leto) into a sports activist before his 1975 death in a car crash.

Director: Steve James
Screenwriter: Steve James, Eugene Corr
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Hollywood Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 24, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $584.2K
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

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