Race is the new biopic based on the life of Olympic gold medal winner Jesse Owens. Most of the story is well known from our grade school days and from the annual "Black History Month Vignettes" that we see and hear every year in the month of February on TV and radio. However, there are some parts of Owens life that are not commonly known. I won't spoil the movie for you by giving away any of the details, but there were things I learned about Owen's life that I'd never seen before in history books.
Besides being educational, Race is an inspiring and entertaining movie. Most of the credit for the soul stirring movie goes to the young 22 year old actor who plays Jesse Owens, Stephan James. He plays the role with dignity and portrays Owens as a man who has faults and fears, just like everyone else.
Much like the story of Jackie Robinson, Owens challenge was to be seen as a "runner" and not a "black runner". He did just that when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin at a time when Hitler planned to showcase his "superior race" of Aryans while Germany hosted the games. Owens not only won four gold medals, he won the hearts of people all over the world with his performance against incredible odds.
Comic actor Jason Sudeikis plays up the yuks as Owen's track coach at Ohio State. Sudeikis provides the comic relief that breaks up the intense drama of the movie. The movie also stars Jeremy Irons and William Hurt and has a strong supporting cast that provide for Owen's support system in the film.
My only criticism of the movie is it's length. It runs well over two hours (134 minutes) and could have been a tighter and more entertaining movie if it was about 20 minutes shorter. Otherwise, I loved it.
Race is rated PG-13 for some intense scenes of bigotry and some harsh language, but I would not hesitate to take a young child to see it. I think our children would benefit greatly from seeing this movie. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" Race is a JUMBO!
Hollywood Hernandez
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