[yasr_overall_rating]
A journey of triathletes overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams.
Natalie is an ultrasound technician with a history of leaving things unfinished: from last night’s pizza (she doesn’t like crust) to medical studies at Johns Hopkins, abandoned after two years. But all that changes when she meets Candice, a cancer patient who urges Natalie to get out of the dark, dingy lab and “into the world” by signing up for a triathlon.
After watching a videotape of Julie Moss losing control of her bodily functions and still not finishing first in 1982’s Hawaiian National race, Natalie seems compelled to stay this course. But her conviction seems robotic, or more appropriately, rote: much of the corny dialogue in “TRI” is delivered like the actors are reading from a teleprompter. And what makes Candice so convincing? We’re never really given a reason: and Natalie’s decision to start training occurs virtually overnight. Lots of smaller details that don’t quite add up abound, but ultimately, the not-quite believable performances are “TRI”’s Achilles heel.
Even a script this awash in hokum can have its charming moments, and “TRI” does occasionally succeed at pulling the heart strings… but even a surprisingly diverse score and great opening credits cannot rescue it from public-access lighting and wooden acting. “TRI” resembles something between an after-school special and a PSA, so what is intended as a heart-warming, inspirational character study feels like propaganda. Agendas this obvious do not endear.
And where one might expect “TRI” to build toward a soaring, sunny, high-note shout of victory, we’re given a (literally) limping, bittersweet gasp in a decidedly minor key—on a rainy day, to boot.
Unless you’re a diehard fan of sports movies or are thinking about participating in a triathlon yourself, walk (don’t bother to run) away.
Now screening in select cities in the US and Canada. For more information about the film, please visit the Official Website.
