Time Trial

2017

1 hr. 22 min.

Documentary

List

90%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

22%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

New insight into the world of professional cycling through the eyes of David Millar, the only British rider to have won all of the Tour de France jerseys.

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Audience Member

Wow! Really, really pretentious. Unwatchable.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/02/19

Full Review

Audience Member

I so badly wanted to like this film. I love cycling, I find Millar interesting and like the guy, but the film is terrible. Watching it, I got the sense that they were aiming to do the main body of the film at the Tour, but when Millar gets dropped from the team they were left in a situation where they had to get a film out but without much of the way of decent material. What we end up with is a compromise of a film, bits of film that was probably shot as test footage at races such as Tirreno Adriatico, are cobbled to gather with narrative from Millar with arty camera angle and moody lighting. The high point is his room mate, Thomas Dekker, who at least provides a bit of light relief. but other wise the film is turgid. The film plays out with shots of Millar dancing in a nightclub....unfortunately it looks just as it is, Dad dancing! Love cycling, like David Millar but the film sucks.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

How did this get 86%? I can only assume that professional critics don't ride much. Time Trial is: - Totally uninformative - you learn very little about cycling - the pain, the tactics etc; you learn very little about Millar's doping (in some kind or artistic statement he refuses to tell the watcher); - Totally inward-facing: it's like one long selfie, which would be fine except it's - Unbalanced: there is nothing about the joy and passion of the sport and it's all about a negative spiral into and out of the Autumn of Millar's career. He can not find a positive word to say (except for a general statement that "...everything gets better."); - Embarrassing for Garmin Sharp: morale and inspirational leadership is totally lacking in the team if you go by this Here's what I learned: Millar only wanted to ride one TdF. He rode many more than he wanted to and he's upset about that. He's torn between not wanting to ride (he says he doesn't want to ride in the break any more) and really not wanting to ride. I get that Millar is a negative guy when it comes to cycling, but I struggled to the end and was left with a negative and flat feeling about a mixed, but passionate sport which lasted my whole flight. Perhaps this was his goal and it should get more stars for that.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Not a nice portrait of what is really a cool team created at an interesting time with an interesting ethos, and also an interesting rider. The darkness and long dull sequences are cheap indy tricks to simulate depth. Get it right if you are interested in portraying cycling.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A must see for any cycling fan and a gripping insight into the life and hopes of a pro-cyclist for non cycle enthusiasts. A belt My soundtrack aids a fantastic story following Millars quest to be selected for the Tour de France. High points being the honesty of David and the well put together camera shots. Something as mundane as putting on cycle gloves turns into a drama during Milan-San Remo. The film shows what many cycle fans actually want to see: inside the peloton. Talks between riders, joking about, hearing the pain and suffering up a climb and the thoughts of how a race is going is a much needed angle that cycle fans need. I loved it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I didnt enjoy it. David is a clever bloke but the film trips up by being too clever and being too self-involved. A discordant sound track and bouncing camera had me on the edge of walking out but I stayed. Best bits were what felt to be private moments amongst the peloton and less self conscious moments from David - the swearing as he turns a corner to find more climbing to do on one of his last pro rides.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

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Finlay Pretsell

Director

David Millar

Self

Thomas Dekker

Self

Sonja Henrici

Producer

Ian Davies

Executive Producer

Leslie Finlay

Executive Producer

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Ed Potton

Times (UK)

Pompous and unenlightening.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 2, 2018

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

There's a painful, pentup anger and hurt at the heart of this documentary portrait of David Millar.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 29, 2018

Full Review

Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

It's hard to watch, but impossible not to be drawn into [Millar's] raging against the dying of his own personal light.

Mar 14, 2018

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Made with a blunt honesty, it focuses on the every day toil and strain.

Oct 31, 2018

Full Review

Craig Mathieson

The Sunday Age

Pretsell reveals the daily peloton as a complex, bobbing organism complete with workplace chit-chat and the constant oversight of employers, and his film immerses you in Millar's environment and mindset.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 15, 2018

Full Review

Alison Rowat

The Herald (Scotland)

Edinburgh's Finlay Pretsell seems to have cameras everywhere, giving viewers a up close, very personal and thrilling insight into an ultra demanding sport.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 2, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

New insight into the world of professional cycling through the eyes of David Millar, the only British rider to have won all of the Tour de France jerseys.

Director: Finlay Pretsell
Executive Producer: Ian Davies, Leslie Finlay, Iain Smith
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 4, 2019

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