Across the Tracks (2004, DVD)

The back of the box offers this excellent synopsis of the movie:

Brad Pitt is a high school track star [named Joe], trying to get a college scholarship to Stanford. Rick Schroeder plays his rebellious younger brother [that would be Billy], using track to keep from heading down the wrong path. The conference championship 800 [half-mile] pits brother against brother, in this movies stirring climax.

Great, so what the box tells me is that this movie combines a classic good soon/bad son story, intertwined with an attempt by Brad Pitt to score a track scholarship at Stanford. This has all the makings of a classic, coming of age 1980 s film. And even with a few minor problems, this film certainly delivers.

This film presents the first major roles for Brad Pitt and Rick Schroeder. Perhaps most interestingly, when this film was released in 1989, Pitt was 26, playing the role of a high school senior. Still, Pitt s boyish good looks easily allow him to pass as 17 (it s somewhat akin to Benjamin McKenzie playing the role of Ryan on the O.C. You wouldn t think a mid-twenty something actor would be able to play the role of a high school student; yet, somehow he succeeds).

The story begins with Billy being released from reform school after serving time for a botched auto theft. From this point, the movie creates a strong dichotomy between Billy (the bad boy) and Joe (the good kid trying to win a track scholarship to Stanford University). Examples of this clear delineation between characters include hairstyle (Pitt sports a floppy mop, while Schroeder greases his hair back), light/dark imagery (Pitt with white Converse high-tops, Schroeder with black), and even clothing (Pitt is the ultimate preppy, constantly sporting a collared shirt; Schroeder prefers wearing cutoffs and jeans).

After his release from reform school, Billy is sent Joe s rival, cross-town high school (Arroyo) and subsequently, on the suggestion of his brother Joe, tries out for the track team (sidenote: Does any high school actually have try-outs for track? Even in the late 80 s, I would imagine that it was a non-cut sport). Apparently the one mile that Billy s reform school required him to run each day, combined with his natural athleticism is enough to make Billy a serious contender for the county championships. But questions remain: Can Billy outrun his past and ultimately transform his life from one of drugs and theft to high school track star? Can Joe handle the pressure of having his brother be a serious contender for the county championship?

As a former collegiate runner, I took note of how this movie portrayed the running scenes. In my opinion, the most glaring flaw of this movie is how Joe attempts to win a track scholarship to Stanford University as a 1:58 (FLAT as Joe like to point out) half-miler. Granted, in 1989 Stanford wasn t exactly the track powerhouse that it is in 2005, but there s absolutely no chance that a 1:58 half-miler would ever be granted a track scholarship to a legitimate Division I University. A world in which 1:58 (FLAT) half-milers earn track scholarships to Stanford is a world in which every parent automatically has his son become a half-miler. Last I checked, a)parents do not push their sons to become half-milers because scholarships are not readily available and b)Stanford is not filled with mediocre runners.

Overall, outside of the overtly prosaic plot and sporadic overacting by Pitt and Schroeder, this was an enjoyable film that showcases two young stars. The climax of the movie is at the county meet where Joe races Billy for the county championship and a coveted scholarship at Stanford! Will Joe win the championship and subsequently move his belongings to the Farm? Or, is Billy s natural athleticism enough to overcome Joe s dedicated training program (which includes running twice per day)? Find out!