‘Race’ — the story of Jesse Owens — an inspiring time at the movies
Jason Sudeikis (right) and Stephan James (center) in "Race." MUST CREDIT: Thibault Grabherr, Focus Features
Stephan James stars as Jesse Owens in "Race." MUST CREDIT: Focus Features
Although it was obviously a wise financial choice for John Boyega to drop out of playing Jesse Owens in order to play Finn in ”Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens,” I’d rather re-watch “Race” than Episode VII any day.
And thank goodness for ”Race” too, as I can’t see anyone but Stephan James playing that role, now. He seems to possess the perfect combination of confidence and modesty needed to portray such a complicated character over such a span of time and circumstances.
• THE FILM: ”Race”
• CRITIC RATING: Three and a half stars
• STARRING: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Eli Goree, Shanice Banton, Carice van Houten, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt.
• MPAA RATING: PG-13 for thematic elements and language. 134 minutes.
• BEHIND THE SCENES: Directed by Stephen Hopkins; written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse.
• TRIVIA FROM IMDb: The name “Jesse” comes from Jesse Owens’ first two initials J.C. (James Cleveland). The film correlates with the 80th Anniversary of the 1936 Summer Olympics.
We meet J. C. “Jesse” Owens as he’s a young man trying to make a name for himself, so that he can properly marry Ruth (Shanice Banton), the mother of his baby girl. He’s the first of his family to go to college, and even though this is an achievement in and of itself, he still can’t bring himself to look his coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis in his first dramatic role) in the eye upon meeting him.
This is America in the ’30s, after all, and Owens knows full well his place in society. He further keeps his mouth shut when fellow students point and stare at him and worse. He’s too smart to let them spoil his chances.
Owens is well on his way to becoming an Olympic athlete, and considering the upcoming 1936 games are to be held in Hitler’s Berlin, he may be able to give his country — maybe even the world — a sorely needed lesson about race.
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For the Nazis, the Olympic Games were supposed to be a platform from which to launch a worldwide publicity stunt — to prove once and for all the supremacy of the Aryan race — especially over blacks. Hitler himself criticized America in particular for including black athletes on its Olympic roster, and he famously refused to congratulate Owens on his Olympic Gold, as was the custom. Then again, President Franklin D. Roosevelt also failed to congratulate Owens for his unprecedented four gold medal wins upon his return to the states.
And the double meaning of the title permeates “Race,” with at least four simultaneous storylines. Obviously, there’s the race for Olympic Gold, and the competition between athletes alone would make for a good sorts-flick. But the Olympics is also politics, especially in 1936, when the United States almost boycotted the games over Hitler’s policies and war-mongering. The politics over whether or not the US should compete, and further whether or not Owens himself should compete once the States decided to take part, both mirror and feed off of each other. Neither decision could have been an easy one.
Then Hitler’s plans to make a film of the games is also part of this film. Director Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten) is tasked with creating the quintessential propaganda film, while constantly running afoul of Joseph Goebbels (a sinister Barnaby Metschurat) when the games turn decidedly against them. She wants to film the drama on the ground, the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” while Goebbels simply wants the marketing movie he was looking for.
And all of this plays against the second nature of the title, race relations. Sadly, many of the obstacles Owens overcame are still in place today. No, maybe not the blacks-only entrances he returned home to and was still forced to use even after his Olympic wins, but much of the blacks as second class that causes a Flint, Michigan.
While not wallowing in these elements, “Race” doesn’t shy away from them either. Similarly, although it shows an errant Owens — flush with fame and attention — get involved with some sexual dalliances while on the road, the film focuses instead on his redemption and success after such unwise detours. The final act (which includes actual footage and slates depicting Owens’ life after the Games) is a satisfying cap to a film that basically juggled everything well, even with all of those balls in the air.
And keeping it well under the PG-13 bar means that you can bring the family and not only be inspired by the courage of a single citizen, but explore the problems within a whole country. It’s a good time at the movies, and good place to start a conversation.
