Saint Ralph (2005)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

I read many reviews on this movie, however, I could not find one that speaks about life lessons. One life lesson is sometimes certain people are just dismissed and/or waived off as though they are not important or will never amount to anything. The principal of Ralph's school seemed way too strict to the point of crushing the soul of anyone who exhibited individuality or a passion for succeeding at something. Another life lesson is that sometimes one has to place his own existence and well-being on the line for another. One of the teachers went against the principal's "command" not to be involved with Ralph's "dreams" and "miracle searching." Another life lesson is you never know what a person is really like on the inside until you talk with them about their hopes, dreams, passions, etc. Ralph seemed like the typical trouble maker, but deep down inside all he ever wanted was for his mom to get out of her coma and eventually out of the hospital. If Ralph existed in real life, and I was a teen, I would welcome him as a close friend, who I could trust with my deepest thoughts. As a final comment, if you look at the birth date of Butcher, it would make him 16 during the filming of Saint Ralph. He looks very young for 16, but I still prefer the age of the character to be the same age in real life.

The movie is set at a Catholic boarding school in Hamilton, Ontario, and recounts the story of a young kid who seeks a miracle to help his mom who is in a coma. The miracle he selects is highly improbable, winning the Boston Marathon. Many obstacles are placed in his path, not the least being his youth and his authoritarian headmaster. What happens in the race must remain hidden to you. Don't even THINK about reading a review with a spoiler alert.Others have said it. I will reiterate it. Saint Ralph (2004) will make you laugh and make you cry. An early scene, followed by what is best described as sight-gag scenes based on it, will have you laughing. The climactic scene, accompanied by a song that must have been selected by a genius, will have you in tears no matter who you are. Laugh and cry...really, what more can a movie do? Well, in this case, a lot.Every aspect of the movie justifies its overwhelmingly favorable IMDb rating. The cinematography is crisp and colorful. The settings are perfect. The acting is superb. The musical selections are ideal.Fourteen year-old Adam Butcher, who plays the lead role as Ralph, is just superb. You couldn't find a more likable young actor in all of Canada. (Adam would go on to even greater acting achievements, most notably in Dog Pound in which he powerfully plays the role of a disaffected and temper-prone teen trying to survive in a juvenile detention facility...another must-see.) The other characters in Saint Ralph are excellent as well, especially Gordon Pinsent as the headmaster and Gordon Campbell as the priest who coaches Ralph.The bottom line is this. The acting in this film holds your interest from start to finish. The musical selections are extraordinarily fitting. The movie spans the spectrum of human emotions. And, most importantly, the movie leaves you feeling fulfilled.

Ralph Walker, the young man at the center of this story, gets more than his share of bad situations at a tender age. Ralph, who has lost his father, sees his own mother struck by a serious illness and watches her go into a coma. Ralph's spirit is never broken and never questions his bad luck the way some other teen would. Ralph is never given to despair, or emotional outbursts when he can't do much to help the situations he is thrown into. Ultimately, Ralph is a real winner, not only because he decides to do something about his life, but because he is an optimist at heart who will never be defeated.Michael McGowan, the Canadian creator of this enormously appealing film has gathered the right elements to make us go with him in this fantastic voyage that shows us the positive side of life. Mr. McGowan was lucky in getting Adam Kutcher to portray Ralph Walker. This young actor shows us he is a natural who under the guidance of the director, gives a tremendous performance and steals our hearts in the process."Saint Ralph" is one of the best things that have come out of Canada in recent years. Campbell Scott gives a good performance as Father Hibbert, the man who guides Ralph in the right direction. The excellent Gordon Pinsent, makes the perfect head master Father Fitzpatrick, a man who is never in touch with the young people he is supposed to lead and help shape their minds into being good citizens. Jennifer Tilly, Tamara Hope, Shauna MacDonald, and Michael Kaney, are also seen in key minor roles.The film is highly recommended because it gives the viewer a positive take on life. Michael McGowan must be congratulated in giving us a movie that will be hard to forget because it feels real from beginning to end.

Reminded me of two things -- one when I was in Catholic school, and two being a young teenager. Very few films combine religion with real people living real lives. Most films that seem to touch on anything concerning faith come off preachy. This one doesn't in the least. You can't help rooting for and liking the main character. The film is kinda like a family version of Rocky concerning a kid who runs the Boston Marathon to try and wake his coma ridden mother via a miracle. The miracle being a fourteen year old even running in the marathon yet alone trying to win it. The father/coach played by Cambell Scott assures him it would be one of the biggest miracles of all time!