Customer Reviews

See How She Runs

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

From the days of the quality TV-movie, here's one of the best, featuring one of our finest actresses, Joanne Woodward. It especially good in that it's the rare midlife film about a woman, rather than a man.

Betty Quinn is a middle-aged school teacher & divorced mother of two daughters, who lives in Boston. She's settled into a routine life, still has a sometime but unspectacular relationship with her ex-husband (a very good John Considine), regularly sees her father (Barnard Hughes) & a small circle of friends -- in short, not a bad life, but lacking any real spark.

Until one day, when she decides to jog home from school rather than take a car or bus. It's almost a lark, something that doesn't seem too difficult, might even be fun -- and we cut to Betty a few blocks later, drenched in sweat & huffing desperately for breath.

Rather than be discouraged, she decides to get into better shape. And before long, she decides that she's going to train for the Boston Marathon. Friends & family are wary, and clearly don't believe she'll stick with it ... but much to her own surprise & delight, she finds that she's not only following through with her training, but that her entire outlook is changing for the better. Suddenly all of those dreams she put away years ago don't seem so absurd or out of reach any longer.

It's a lovely & encouraging little film, the sort they don't seem to make these days. If the score ventures a little bit into "Rocky"-style bombast, that can be forgiven as a reflection of the times in which it was filmed. Woodward is superb, her victories small but heartfelt, and her renewed life seems honest & earned, never some overblown "inspirational" cliché.

So when is it going to be available on DVD?!?

I am skeptical that this movie exists as a print from television, or would have bought it years ago, if it were available, and would want verification that it is.

Ever since viewing this production on television, the themes represented are as inspiring to me now, as at that first viewing. I don't jog. When I say that jogging is the least of it - I'll probably have to dodge thrown sneakers - but it is the least of it.

A woman's empowerment...the ability of an individual to create change, and how that individual accomplishes exactly that -- are powerful, needed themes.

I have done consider shopping on Amazon and have been very happy with my purchases thus far with one exception. I have to say that the quality of a very recently purchased video, "See How She Runs", was of the poorest qualty and expensive to boot. Infact, I do believe that the seller taped the movie off of television and slapped on a label and called it new. It was so terrible that after watching but a few minutes of it, I removed it from the VCR and pitched it! I would never purchase from this seller ever again!

There was supposed to be a book enclosed with this order which I never received. The video is not used,but apparently a brand new bootleg copy. The label on the brand new container has the look of a 2nd ,3rd or newer generation copy. I would like to receive my book.