Prefontaine is a 1997 Hollywood Pictures film dramatizing the life of the American long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his tragic death at age 24. It was written by Steve James and Eugene Corr, directed by James, and stars Jared Leto as the title character. Most of the movie was filmed at the University of Puget Sound campus in Tacoma, Washington. Peyton Field was redecorated to resemble Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Plot[]
Steve Prefontaine comes from Coos Bay, Oregon and emerges as one of the premiere distance runners in collegiate track and field.
After enrolling at the University of Oregon in 1970, where Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger become his coaches, Prefontaine proceeds to win three national cross-country championships and four consecutive 5,000-meter runs, breaking the U.S. record in the latter. "Pre" gains fame as an aggressive runner who likes to be out front from the start, rather than biding his time until a strong finish.
A bitter disappointment comes in the 1972 Munich Olympics, where after leading his event with only 150 meters to go, Prefontaine is passed in the stretch by three different runners and does not win a medal. Pre devotes himself to preparing for the 1976 Montreal Olympics following his college career, but on May 30, 1975, his small car flips on a road not far from campus and Prefontaine, only 24 years old, is killed.
Cast[]
Jared Leto as Steve Prefontaine
Ed O'Neill as Bill Dellinger
R. Lee Ermey as Bill Bowerman
Amy Locane as Nancy Alleman
Breckin Meyer as Pat Tyson
Lindsay Crouse as Elfriede
Brian McGovern as Mac Wilkins
Kurtwood Smith as Curtis Cunningham
Critical reception[]
As of March 2020, Rotten Tomatoes reports that 56% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 36 reviews with an average score of 6.31 out of 10. On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film has a rating score of 56 based on 15 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews. Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert praised the film giving it "two thumbs up" on their television program.
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