Movie of the Day: Tracktown

Click here for Bundler's Guide on Where to Watch

So why watch it now?

For those interested in timely viewings, the runup to the 2020 Olympic games would probably make more sense. That said, Alexi Pappas and Jeremy Teicher's movie about a young college runner forced to take some downtime between qualifying trials is equal parts character study and slice of life in a university town that makes for an engaging watch any night of the week. Drawing on Pappas's background as a competitive long distance runner, the story manages to humanize the psychology of an elite athlete while also poking fun at some of the more extreme aspects of the contemporary training regimen. Pappas offers a compellingly weird performance in the lead role of Plumb, while the film also feaures as well as nuanced turns from veteran comedy actors Andy Buckley (aka David Wallace in The Office) and Rachel Dratch. Technically, this movie was recommended by Paul Thomas Anderson in an interview.

Bonus Trivia: Pappas actually participated in the 2016 games as a runner on the Greek national team.

Double Bonus Trivia: The film's title refers to the nickname of Eugene, Oregon, home of the University of Oregon and Nike (which was founded by members of the school's track team).

Don't Take Our Word (Or Paul Thomas Anderson's) For It

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/movies/tracktown-review.html

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-tracktown-review-20170511-story.html

https://www.indiewire.com/2016/06/laff-review-tracktown-alexi-pappas-1201685867/

On the Other Hand

https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/05/10/tracking-shots-this-week-in-film/