[DVD Review (R2)] Miracle Of Saint Ralph
There are times when I’m sent a movie & I have no idea what it’s about or what to expect. Sometimes, when this happens, I go online & find a trailer or look up the synopsis but other times I just think “leave it, and watch the movie with no expectations”. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s always nice to go into a movie with no expectations or pre-conceived ideas. So this is what I did with The Miracle of Saint Ralph. I had no idea what the movie was about and just went with it. So the question has to be, did this work in the movies favour or against it?
The Plot
The Miracle of Saint Ralph tells the story of Ralph Walker, a 13 year old student in a Catholic school in Canada. His father died a few years before the story begins & his mother is now in hospital, being treated for cancer.
Ralph, who is meant to be staying with a friend, is pretending that his dead Grandparents are caring for him so that he can stay in his family home by himself & is constantly getting into trouble for “self abuse” among other things.
When his mother slips into a coma he decides that the only thing that will bring her out is a miracle and, following a chance remark from one of his teachers, Father Hibbard (who was once Canada’s best marathon runner) about the likelihood of the school cross country team winning the Boston marathon, Ralph decides that this is the miracle that will save his mother – he will win the Boston marathon.
Now, this young man who doesn’t really believe in anything is going to have to apply himself to something that no one else believes he can do. But is his self belief enough to help him win & to bring his mother out of her coma?
Review
When I first started watching the movie, one thing started to put me off – the amount of “self abuse” that Ralph does. It’s not that you see him rubbing himself off every five minutes, as the movie isn’t graphic at all, but the suggestion from the first half of the movie to do with masturbation did get a little trying at times.
But then, something miraculous happened. As Ralph continues growing throughout the movie, trying to not only save his mother but also to find his place in the world, you start to get sucked in by his easy going charm & self belief – in many ways he reminded me of a slightly less cool & unpopular version of Ferris Bueller and it was at this point I really started to get into the movie & get swept up in it’s story.
Michael McGowan, who wrote as well as directed the movie, has crafted a tale that manages to bypass the brain & hit you in the heart & once you have been swept up in Ralph’s journey to try & win the marathon there is nothing you can do but sit back & be captivated by the story.
Not that it is a perfect movie by any by any stretch of the imagination, but it does evoke movies of the 1940′s & 50′s and be truly deserving of the “feel good” tag, which seems to be something rarer & rarer nowadays in the movie world.
Adam Butcher who plays Ralph manages to carry the movie pretty effortlessly, which is very impressive as he was 13 when the movie was made & it was only his third acting job. He really does convince in the role, and it’s his performance which makes this movie as watchable as it is.
He is ably supported by the rest of the cast, including Jennifer Tilly amongst others, but it’s Ralph who is the heart of the movie & Adam Butcher is the one who deserves all of the credit.
For once, this is a heartwarming movie which doesn’t really rely on making you cry or devastating you with sad events to drag you in, it’s the hope of Ralph succeeding in his quest that makes you carry on watching & it’s the way that it is presented that makes it as enjoyable as it is.
I really didn’t know what to expect when I started watching, but I wasn’t actually expecting to enjoy The Miracle of St Ralph as much as I did, and while it won’t appeal to all, I think this is a Canadian movie which captures something from the Golden Age of movies & is well worth picking up.
3 Responses to “[DVD Review (R2)] Miracle Of Saint Ralph”
Dear Gareth
Thank you for the nice review. I was actually 14 when I filmed “Saint Ralph” in the fall of 2003. I’m now 21. My latest movie “Dog Pound” is scheduled for release this summer. You can find the trailer on youtube. It’s nothing like “Saint Ralph”.
Thanks
Adam
Thanks Adam, glad you liked the review – I’ve changed your age to 13 in the review now – that’s what I get for going by IMDB!
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my review & I’ll be sure to check out Dog Pound.
guys help me.to find the story about saint Ralph tat is our project in religion…… text me if you find it 09061990886 Pls thank you
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