Catholic Runs Like Hell to Keep Mom On Earth
Instead of Going to Heaven

When young Ralph Walker frankly confesses to 22 "Self-abuses" and taking the Lord's name in vain over one hundred times during the past week, it's clear that Saint Ralph sets out to be honestly brazen regarding the trials of a 14 year old boy in a 1953 Canadian Catholic School. Director Michael McGowan strives to keep his movie something more than a feel-good after-school special from a more innocent era, and he succeeds, mostly.

Our protagonist, Ralph, learns about miracles from Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott) in class and figures that if he can make a miracle happen in his life through faith, prayer, and purity, then he can save his dying mother, who has recently fallen into a coma. The vehicle of optimistic Ralph's miracle - winning the Boston Marathon. Enduring tremendous ridicule from classmates and outright condemnation from Father Fitzpatrick, the school's headmaster, Ralph finds a sympathetic figure in Father Hibbert. Despite initial hesitation, Hibbert decides to secretly train Ralph because he shows dedication beyond anything he's learning in school, and Hibbert finds an opportunity to minister to a student outside of class. Besides, as people performing God's work, what can he believe in if not a kid who longs for a miracle?

Adam Butcher plays Ralph with such moxie that you'll find yourself pulling for him the moment he's on screen. He trips on stairs, gets turned down by girls, and even has his sinful moments of self-curiosity spread throughout town, particularly one involving a hilariously close encounter with a pool heating jet. But he's simply irrepressible! Never lingering in the past, always looking to the future, and committing himself to success, Ralph becomes a model of dedication even as doubt and setbacks pose significant roadblocks. His enthusiasm is infectious, even to the locals to watch Ralph run by everyday during their coffee break. Father Hibbert, whose title obviously represents a symbolic double meaning, is especially transfomred by the boy’s spirit.

McGowan pieces together a film that is consistenly funny and moving, despite there being a glut of underdogs-who-overachieve type of movies. Whenever sentiment starts to sag the story, like the song played at the Marathon's conclusion which sounds like a target for the mocking duo of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, McGowan is sure to throw in another blasphemous line from one of the schoolboys. This helps the film maintain its PG-13 edge, but often feels forced as if the director is conscientiously making it so, even though we know students that age talk this way whether they attend a public or private religious school.

With likeable characters, a solid story, good pacing and unexpected laughs,
the movie sprints spiritedly toward the finish line. An uplifting film that both surprises with nerve and originality despite its occasional predictability, Saint Ralph could make you a believer in the possibility of a good attitude and hard work paying off. A man could watch this film with his middle school-aged son and be guaranteed an interesting conversation afterwards. Or one could simply watch it for inspiration.

Grade: B

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