Prefontaine (1997) User Reviews (40)

Captures the spirit of his times

[Tom-207 · 8/10 · 4 March 2003]

I was a grad student at the University of Oregon in the early seventies when Steve Prefontaine made his mark as a runner there. This film captures his life and times reasonably well, and Jared Leto's performance does a good job portraying the Steve Prefontaine the general public like me knew, though Leto has more of a preppy/Abercrombie & Fitch appearance than the somewhat craggier Prefontaine. Those who knew him then personally can make a better, further assessment. Despite the limitations of its budget (for example, they shot the film in 16mm--Super16 actually), it's one of the better sports films made and should have had a stronger theatrical run. If memory serves, the release also had a woefully limited marketing budget.

An athletic apparel store in Boston has a glass case which displays one of Steve Prefontaine's running singlets. It made me pause to see it there, an inanimate object which once clothed someone so highly animated. This film does a decent job of bringing life to that persona.

Steve Prefontaine 1951-1975

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 21 July 2009]

Jared Leto plays the title role in Prefontaine, a biographical study of the American track star who rewrote all the record books in his short life for distance running. He also put his town of Coos Bay, Oregon on the map where it still proudly displays it's the hometown of Steven Prefontaine.

Of course the Holy Grail of amateur athletics is the Olympics and even Mark Spitz who was the American star in the summer Olympics of 1972 was overshadowed by the cowardly murders of several Israeli athletes in that year. Munich will probably never host another Olympics, just too much bad history is attached to that city.

It was also Prefontaine's downfall, he finished third in his big race to Finnish miler Lasse Viren. He got a rematch of sorts against Viren in Oregon, but before the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Prefontaine was killed in automobile crash.

Jared Leto does a fine job in essaying the part and showing the hopes, dreams, and frustrations of Steve Prefontaine. R. Lee Ermey and Ed O'Neill play his college and high school track coaches and Lindsay Crouse does a fine job as Leto's mother. Special mention should also go to Kurtwood Smith who plays the voice of the Amateur Athletic Union who Prefontaine faces down and wins. They've been running amateur sports in this country and in some cases arrogantly and not too well for most of the last century.

It's a good sports film and should be seen in combination with Chariots Of Fire to see how amateur athletics are dealt with in a different time and culture.

Watchable

[oregon123 · 6/10 · 19 July 2001]

Prefontaine's life is what makes this movie watchable, not so much the movie itself. However, Jared Leto as Pre, and R. Lee Ermey and Ed O'Neill as Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger, respectively (Pre's coaches), offer good, convincing portraits of these historic sports figures. On the minus side, the sound track sounds like it belongs in a 70's made for TV movie, and the film's stadium scenes are unconvincing because the shots of fans are done close up to hide the obvious fact that there's only a hundred people or so in the stands and not the thousands that watched Pre race in reality. The producers should either have spent the money to pay for more actual footage of Pre's races, or paid for the extras to make the stadium scenes more convincing.

Interesting if basic sports biopic (spoilers)

[bob the moo · 19 April 2005]

Since he was young, Steve Prefontaine was always too short, too skinny or too slow to be the first choice for any sports – a thing that only made him work harder to become whatever he felt he needed to be and to make the most of any chance given to him. At age 16 he decides that he is not only to be a runner but that he will be representing his country in Munich at the 1972 Olympics. Training hard for the mile event, his coach at Oregon State, Bill Bowerman convinces him to focus on the three-mile and make the media interested in it. Keeping his goal of getting three seconds faster every year of university, Pre gets closer to his Munich date while his reputation as a cocky yet gutsy athlete grows.

First of all, I, unlike many other thoughtless reviewers have put a spoiler warning on this review because I, like countless others, had never heard of Steve Prefontaine and therefore didn't know how the film would end; didn't know, that is, until the very plot outline on this site proclaimed it. Anyway, despite this I decided to watch it because it didn't strike me as the sort of film that knowing the end mattered (of course I would rather have been allowed to decide that for myself). From the start of the film a picture is painted of Preforntaine as a cocky but driven individual who worked to overcome anything that life threw in his way but was ultimately (and untimely) beaten by the obstacle that defeats us all. In telling this story the film tries to develop a character while also making sure it delivers the basic memorable moments in his career. As such it doesn't quite succeed but then I suppose it depends what the audience is; if you know all the milestones then it is likely that the film might bore as its focus is really on the "what happened" rather than the "who". However for a viewer like me who didn't know it then it does enough to be interesting. The docu-drama approach worked better than I expected it would and the film does have a good pace (sorry) to it and, because it made Prefontaine an interesting character it actually made for a quite emotional film.

The cast work pretty well; certainly Leto's presence had me worried but he not only had a good resemblance but did well with the material he was given. His character is not a complex person, but then with biographical films it is always difficult to write such a character and usually it is more effective to condense them down to the essence of who they were. Ermey is good value here in one of only three films where he doesn't play some sort of sergeant-major (I'm joking but it feels like it could be true) and is a nicely grizzled character. Support from O'Neill, Meyer and others is OK but really the film belongs to the lead two and, although Leto is hardly the life of the film, his character's story is worth the watch.

Overall this is a solid, if unspectacular film that may not win you over if you have a working knowledge of Prefontaine but, for me, it was interesting at the level that it was presented. An interesting story that told me what I needed to know – could have been better but did enough to work for me.

Long Distance Runaround

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 1 May 2011]

Being benched during his Coos Bay, Oregon grade school football games only makes young Steve "Pre" Prefontaine more determined to succeed. He grows up to be beautiful, blonde, and cocky Jared Leto. Fulfilling his athletic dreams in becoming a college track star, Mr. Leto makes it to the 1972 Munich Olympics, which are targeted by terrorists. Leto looks forward to his next Olympiad, but fate has other plans…

Mr. Prefontaine was the subject of two biographical films released almost simultaneously, this one and the bigger-budgeted "Within Limits" (1998) starring Billy Crudup. The two life-telling movies elevate Prefontaine and, upon seeing them, the attention seems warranted. After you get used to his sometimes looking more like a carefully made-up 1970s physique model than a runner, Leto slowly convinces. The use of pseudo-interviews, wobbly camera, actual sports footage, and other filming tricks are less successful, in the long run.

****** Prefontaine (1/24/97) Steve James ~ Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'Neill, Amy Locane

Good intentions, lacking the genius to set it on fire...

[fedtho · 6/10 · 26 March 2005]

I rarely take the time to rate, let alone to comment on a movie I give a 6.

This one has a lot going for it. When I searched IMDb, I looked for a movie of the seventies or eighties... NEVER would have thought it's not ten years old. So, at the very least, it succeeds in re-creating (or mimicking?) the atmosphere of that time, including how movies of the seventies feel. That's quite an accomplishment in itself!

Jared Leto is unrecognizable (to me, at least) and very convincing...

I saw this on TV. I was tempted to leave, but stayed on it until the end. The movie manages to have quite some power of attraction, although the story is rather thin after all... as is Prefontaine's character himself. There was a moment where I just became tired of everything evolving around him and his problems and success... I wondered more and more when someone would tell him there where other people in the world. But no, everyone around him is full of dedication and just wants him to win... it becomes ridiculous. The way his girlfriend, who's equally devoted as anyone else, who's there only to comfort him, NEVER to criticize him, reminded me of some movies of the seventies where women had the same kind of extreme, self-denying devotion - another reason for me to believe the movie actually WAS MADE in that time.

It becomes ridiculous, the girl appears to be really brighter than to only be there for him, never encouraging him to question his self-centered attitude... I'm aware this sadly has been true for ages in most couples before the first feminist efforts told women they had a choice... and that it hasn't stopped either just because we are in the third millennium... But the movie is smart in other ways, so it feels wrong his characters aren't.

Well - still, the movie has an undeniable charm. And I still recommend it, maybe because the naive side of it strikes me as rather sincere than sarcastic, and, again, because you really believe you are in the seventies. Don't run for it, but give it a shot when you can.

hard to say

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 26 December 2006]

I had never heard of Steve Prefontaine before I learned that they were making a movie about him, even though he was from Oregon. When I finally saw the movie, I figured that I would just have to accept what the movie showed. "Prefontaine" mostly does a good job, although it goes a little overboard in focusing on how the assassinations at the 1972 Olympics affected him personally. Also, I would have liked to have learned maybe a little more about his childhood.

So, although we may not be certain about how accurate the movie is, it's an interesting look at the athletic world in the early '70s. Also starring Ed O'Neill and R. Lee Ermey.

Excellent Sports Film

[bliss66 · 10/10 · 12 July 2002]

I saw this last night on the BBC--I don't think it ever had a theatrical release in Britain--and thought it was excellent. I remember this film and its rival, Without Limits, when they were released in 1997 but never saw them. Users have commented on how much this film resembled the '70's era, right down to the soundtrack and overall style of the film, as if that kind of authenticity is to its detriment. It does remind one of that '70's TV movie classic, Brian's Song, but then, what other era should this film resemble?! It's no surprise that the documentary storytelling style works so well since the director and writer, Steve James, made one of the most acclaimed documentaries of the '90's--the basketball flik, Hoop Dreams (highly recommended as well). But shooting a documentary and recreating the style of one are two different things and though they probably both have their perils, recreating that style in service to drama must have much steeper pitfalls. Steve James (and company) completely succeed here. Jared Leto gives a compelling performance as Pre and forces the viewer to sympathise with him in very unique ways. He's not immensely likable but when he runs...one understands that great athletic performers, like Steve Prefontaine, did not win races on personality alone. But it's the way that the rest of cast responds to him, their admiration completely palpable and on the surface, that moves the viewer to embrace him as well. He's heartbreaking when he asks, "Do I look like a runner?" American sports films usually obscure their central figures by ladling on heavy doses of heavy-handed inspiration. Not so with this film. Pre emerges a gifted, young, confused but determined individual who inspires not through his athletic performances but through the strength of his character and what he did for amateur athletics. The ending doesn't so much jerk tears from the viewer as it allows them to flow freely and copiously. An underrated, lost gem of a film.

nice easy movie made more interesting because its true

[krakgal · 6/10 · 20 November 2017]

Watched this many years ago and revisited as for some reason it stuck in my head. The acting is very good and the writing is .. not great .. but all holds together very well and a very un-taxing film for a date night in. It covers a lot of important people in sport , not just the main protagonist , which makes things even more interesting.It led us to watch the excellent documentary one day in September and Munich .. all relating to the same period and issues of the day....looking forward to the drama detailing how Nike started.Definitely recommended.

Inspiring And Haunting

[Lechuguilla · 9/10 · 3 April 2004]

This is the real-life story of Oregon runner Steve Prefontaine who, despite physical imperfections, draws on inner strength of character, to set American track records, and race in the 1972 Munich Olympics. As a runner myself, I found this 1997 docudrama inspiring.

But "Prefontaine" is far more than a cinematic pep talk for runners. It's a character study of an extraordinary young man from an ordinary background, his personal relationships, and his date with destiny. It is a story that has lasting value.

The film's visuals and music effectively convey the look and sound of the early 70's. The acting is above average. Jared Leto is superb as Steve. Just as good is R. Lee Ermey as Steve's coach, the legendary Bill Bowerman, a man who found a way to make running shoes with the help of a waffle iron. Ed O'Neill, Breckin Meyer, and the lovely Amy Locane are good, in supporting roles.

Leto's acting, combined with a clever script, portrays Pre as gutsy, determined, intense, charismatic, vulnerable, at times reckless, self-absorbed, brash, and arrogant. One of my favorite segments of dialogue has Steve and his teammate Pat Tyson jogging along, and talking about the great runner Jim Ryun. Steve comments: "Forget Jim Ryun; he's done; I'm gonna be the first Steve Prefontaine", to which Pat responds: "It must be nice to want to be yourself".

Later, Pre frustratingly says to his girlfriend Nancy: "All of my life people have said to me: you're too small Pre; you're not fast enough Pre; give up your foolish dreams Steve."

Pre's story is told in another film: "Without Limits"; both now available on DVD, and both good, though I prefer this Steve James directed movie.

Often and rightly compared to other sports films, "Prefontaine" reminds me of a film one might not think of. Pre's life was similar in some ways to another notable person from an ordinary background, one who set out bravely on a personal quest, of sorts, and who, in the process, like Pre, made a powerful and lasting impression: Karen Silkwood.

Coincidentally, Pre's fate and Karen's fate were tragically similar, and only six months apart. In both "Prefontaine" and "Silkwood", the message to the rest of us ordinary mortals is: don't underestimate your life; do your best; and make each day count. You never know when "fate" may intervene.

Prefontaine - great movie for running enthusiasts

[rmgoogbono · 7/10 · 17 September 2014]

Running is one of my favorite activities, so I found this movie and wanted to see what it was about...Prefontaine was an outstanding American runner, never heard of him until I stumped into this movie, (starring Jared Leto, who I think is perfect for portraying a runner)... I like people like Steve Prefontaine who didn't leave this world without being remembered, despite dying at such young age...and who are moved by their heart, nothing can stop them, it's very inspiring. I enjoyed this movie from 1997, the 90's seem not too long ago but when you watch those movies makes you think it was a 'while ago' already , and the movie is set in 1972 so it feels even 'older'. I also enjoyed the acting, but the fact that it is a real story, and the fact that it happened during a world known tragedy (The massacre during the 1972 Olympic games in Munich) that touched the life of this athlete, makes it more interesting, so is not just a movie about runners.

Pre is god.

[jesdunk · 10/10 · 23 August 2002]

As a runner, I cannot resist but love the story of Steve Prefontaine's rise and fall. He is an inspiration to all who lace up and head out the door for an hour long trek through the woods trails and roadsides. The movie truly captured the spirit of Pre and the emotions experienced by many athletes, not just runners. This was the one movie I watched on the bus ride up to Vermont's State Track meet. As I ran, my lungs and legs burned and all I could think of is this one scene: Pre running and all that can be heard is his breath, the camera focuses on his chest, up and down. When running, I am in my own world, just as the movie shows, everything around me is just a backdrop, a supplement to my race against myself, my own times, and my fellow runners. They push me, I push them, like Viren does Pre. This movie captures all of the aspects of a race and the qualities of a true runner. If you run for fun, your drive to strive will reach unfathomable levels.

A mediocre docudrama of a stellar runner's all too short life story.

[=G= · 5/10 · 12 March 2001]

"Prefontaine" tells the story of Oregon's Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine who set American track records for all races from 2Km to 10Km, advocated athlete's rights, and died tragically at age 24. Shot as a docudrama, the film has a low budget indie kind of "feel" with mediocre camera work, second tier actors, and marginal directing. Most likely to be appreciated by those interested in Olympic running or American sports history.

The runner's Rocky...A four star film, that inspires and excites.

[drvannostrand · 10/10 · 17 July 2000]

With so few films devoted the the unique sport of running Prefontaine is a shining beakon. It is a runners movie that maitains mass apeal, so both the average man, and the avid runner will come away satisfied in the idea that they just sat through a very good movie. As a young runner I jad heard stories of this God this Prefontaine, but to me he was nothing more than a funny name with great times. With this biographical film I could see the enigma, a man I heard stories about but never really knew. With this movie a hero was born to a new generation, in a portrayal that is so inspirational that after watching I just want to go out and run my heart out. This is the runner's Rocky. A four star film than unfourtunatly received little fanfare and has thus been forgotten much like the man it tried to immortalize. Over all I give this movie 8-8.5 definatly worth the rental, definatly worth your time.

"Prefontaine" Inspiration

[dcwaterm · 20 May 1999]

When 14 years old, I was glued to the TV set every night during the 1972 Olympic games. I remember well the 5000 meter race and Steve Prefontaine and it was a very exciting race. This movie greatly helps bring closure to the Prefontaine phenomena by telling the story of how Prefontaine embraced challenge and competition, propelled himself to the top, and then his ultimate fate.

To measure a movie's success, I take note of my thoughts the following day. Anyone watching "Prefontaine" in 1972 run the 5000 could not help but be inspired. And now in the late 1990's, the movie "Prefontaine" refreshes that inspiration. A very well done dramatization and documentary.

A great film about a greater man ......

[welshNick · 10/10 · 25 June 2006]

As a huge armchair sportsfan I was keen to see this when BBC 2 showed it in the UK. This was a story of a man fighting against almost impossible odds, the underfunding of the USA team, his slightly imperfect physique, and everyone telling him he was not good enough to win. But here was a man prepared to fight all of this and be a winner. After an unlucky fourth in the Munich Olympics he made his comeback and everything looked set for a rematch with Viren at Montreal. Tragically he died in a car accident before Montreal could take place. Years later it emerged that the Finland team which Viren represented were blood-doping at this time so who knows what the result would have been on a level playing field. What Prefontaine did achieve was to show how poorly amateur athletes were treated in those days and hopefully this no longer happens. Despite being British I found this film wonderfully moving and had tears rolling down my cheeks at the end. A film of bravery, courage and above all determination .... Bravo, a great film about an even greater man.

Prefontaine is the best running movie ever made.

[DavQuigs · 10/10 · 14 November 2002]

Steve Prefontaine was America's best long distance runner ever. This movie shows how you can achieve your dreams and that anything is possible. Prefontaine is filled with great action, that is if you actually enjoy watching someone run on the TV. After watching this movie you will feel like going outside and running a five kilometer. This is one of the best movies ever made in my opinion.

7/10

[marcfleury · 5/10 · 27 September 1998]

While this is an interesting film, well-made and thoughtfully constructed, the deviations that it takes from standard storytelling cause it to fall a little flat.

Namely, what feels like it would be the climax in another movie (Prefontaine's race in the Munich Olympics) falls about half-way into this film. (Not to mention the fact that a standard climax is prevented due to the actual events surrounding those Olympic games.)

The second half of the film concentrates on Prefontaine's frustrations and difficulties following the games (stemming both from the events that occurred there, and also the treatment of amateur athletes in general around that time). Because of this, the second half of the movie, to me, feels drawn out and longish, even though the movie itself comes in well under two hours.

While the interesting format of the film (it is told as though it is a documentary, featuring interviews with now-older friends and relatives of Prefontaine [well, not the real people -- they're all just actors playing the parts]) lets it stand apart from the standard Rocky-type sports film, that uniqueness can't quite make up for the weakness of the structure.

(One note -- I was particularly impressed at the way that the characters were aged for their older appearances. It's rare that this is done well, and it is surprisingly well done here.)

Truly captured the essence of the 70's and Pre's obsession.

[redbeard_ee · 17 March 2001]

I was shocked to discover that 'Prefontaine' was made in the 90's. It truly captured the essence of the 70's. Everything, including the camera work, was so 70's it transported me back in time. Every bit as good as 'Without Limits'. Excellent portrayal of Steve's obsession with winning, and the struggle to pick up the pieces after Munich.

Very Good Movie 10/10

[bkimbler · 10/10 · 24 October 1998]

I felt this movie did a very good job telling the story. It moved at a great pace and the race scenes were fantastic. I was a track runner in high school and can remember the feeling standing on the line.

The acting may have been a little weak at some points, but I felt Ed O'Neil did a fanstastic job breaking away from his stupid "Ed Bundy" role. As usual, Mr. Emrey was a pleasure to watch in every scene.

There were some comments that the movie should have ended after Munich. I feel the last half, while not the best part, is probably the most important.

I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone, especially anyone who has run track in the past.

A film about the American runner Steven Prefontaine.

[johnny-deppfan185 · 10/10 · 3 April 2005]

This film was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was on BBC2 very late so i thought it wouldn't be a good film because they usually put bad films on at that time of night, but OH MY WORD was i wrong!I loved it!it had a funky kind of feel to it (very cool) and great music! Jared Leto plays Prefontaine.Truthfully i had never heard of him before but i wont forget him! he is an amazing actor! not only was he amazing at acting he is very,very, very good looking!!!!!If you love drama, sports, romance, action, or hot guys this film has the perfect amount of everything for your taste! I would advise anyone and everyone to see this film!.GO PRE!!!!!

Unexpected

[icegini · 8/10 · 20 November 2011]

The only reason why I watched this movie was the actor Jared Leto and at the beginning it kind of looked like a slow, boring movie. I was so wrong and am now so happy to have seen it. Jared Leto did such a great job and the movie was done very well too. The story, the movie is great! Often this kind of movies about someone real can be a bit dry. Like it is just the telling of facts about a great person.But not in this movie. Prefontaine was giving facts, but also a story and a very moving, filled story. I don't only want to find out more about Fontaine, but like someone else in a review said, after watching the movie you just want to go outside and start running! I loved the very end of the movie.

An inaccurate portrayal of Steve Prefontaine

[Jthomas1085 · 2/10 · 3 November 2004]

Prefontaine provides a deeply inaccurate portrayal of the life and skill of American track star Steve Prefontaine. The film creates a girlfriend whom he never had, and shows him as uneasy and unconfident about his ability. It makes claims of him having a poor kick to finish races, and yet this is not as large of an issue in actuality, while the issue of his body type not being that of a runners is true. The film is poorly scripted as well, doing a terrible job of capturing Bill Bowerman's personality. Bowerman was certainly eccentric, yet the film shows him in more of a lunatic or crazy form. Especially with the introduction of him by the mailbox scene. Another film created based on Prefontaine's life, Without Limits, truly and best finds the truth. The script and production were overlooked by Kenny Moore (writer), whom was a close personal friend of Prefontaine, and Mary Marx, Prefontaine's girlfriend, in the film Without Limits. The misinformation provided in Prefontaine extremely frustrates me because the least a biographical film can do is stick to the facts.

Why isn't this movie on DVD?

[Johnnycash · 25 October 2001]

This movie was brilliantly put together and the end result is phenomenal. Every scene in the movie is important to the overall end result and I didn't feel this movie was overly long at all and I don't understand those who said it was. The movie deals well with showing Pre's determination to be the best and the emotions of overcoming failure. I wanted to buy this on DVD only to find out they don't make it on DVD, and I couldn't understand why, this is an amazing film and you don't have to know who Prefontaine was to enjoy it, although you might appreciate it more.....

True Athlete

[anabelei · 8/10 · 2 March 2005]

As a marathoner I did find the movie inspiring. I first saw it when I was going to a regional state meet for Cross Country (the three mile) in High School. In response to the other comment, yes Prefontaine was a stuck up SOB. Most top athletes are. If you are the best-you are the best and you will not give up that title without a fight. Pre gave a fight to get the title and he refused to let it go. In order to be the best, you have to have the self confidence in yourself to make it there. Goals must be set. Pre made his goals known to the world and even if he failed, he still acted like he won because that is what it takes to be the best, to even compete with the best. Which is what Pre was and what he did.