Run & Jump (2013) User Reviews

Intriguing look at family dynamics

[Buddy-51 · 7/10 · 12 August 2014]

Just how fluid is our definition of "family"?

Conor (Edward MacLiam) is an Irish carpenter who, at the age of 34, is unexpectedly felled by a stroke. Though he will never again be the man he was, Conor recovers sufficiently to allow him to return home to his wife, Vanetia (Maxine Peak), and two children. However, he is accompanied by Ted Fielding (a generally miscast Will Forte), an American brain specialist who moves in with the family so he can monitor and study Conor's condition on a 24/7 basis. While Ted, a single man without a wife or children of his own, is supposed to remain a neutral, emotionally detached observer of the situation, he finds himself more and more filling the void left by Conor, slipping into the role of father to the children and husband to the wife. Will Conor erupt in a jealous rage at this blatant disruption of his family unit, or will he have the grace to accept the fact that Ted can provide for his loved ones in a way that he himself no longer can?

Written by Ailbhe Keogan and Steph Green and directed by Green, "Run & Jump" is an unassuming, slice-of-life drama that is less about a man's struggle to overcome the harsh hand that's been dealt him and more about the effect that hand is having on those around him. How, the movie asks, does one re-establish a familial norm when the dynamics have effectively shifted and everyone's role in that family has been essentially redefined? This relationship-shuffling manifests itself in some surprising ways. Conor's stroke, for instance, has clearly affected the part of his brain that censors what he says, a condition that proves most taxing to his gay teenage son who must suffer his dad's withering homophobic comments, keen in the knowledge that they reflect his own father's true, unfiltered feelings towards him. And there are many such examples.

Despite a certain sketchiness in some of the storytelling, "Run & Jump" is, for the most part, a poignant case study in family dynamics, one that both avoids melodrama and refuses to cast judgments on its characters as it explores the complexities of human relationships.

Would've worked better with a simpler approach

[Christof_McShine · 5/10 · 26 February 2014]

An Irish family welcome home Conor, the husband and father who has recently suffered a life changing stroke. In tow is an American psychologist who is studying Conor's progress as he tries to settle back into the family life. It's not long before the American becomes the father figure himself and also begins to veer towards a deeper relationship with Vanetia, the wife.

For a film that clocks in at just over 1 hour 40 minutes this still felt rather long winded in places. Some of the dramatic scenes work well and the performances are perfectly OK, Edward MacLiam as Conor in particular impressing whereas Maxine Peake as his free-spirited wife struggles badly with the Irish accent which doesn't help.

It seems however there is too much thrown into the pot and in the end it becomes unnecessarily convoluted - we have the blossoming relationship between the wife and the psychologist, the struggles of the husband and wife, the son facing up to homosexuality, the suspicious father-in-law, the sister who's taken a shine to the American and so on. All this leaves it rather disjointed and had it just centred on the 3 way adult relationship dynamic it would've made for a much stronger film.

Not all bad but something of a mixed bag.

"Are you a vegemitarian?"

[The_late_Buddy_Ryan · 7/10 · 6 December 2014]

While you're waiting for Netflix to stream the last two seasons of "Silk,"* you may want to take a look at this intriguing indie. Maxine Peake gives a fine, energetic performance as Vanetia Casey, a beleaguered housewife in County Kerry, a long way from the Inns of Court. The setup may seem a little contrived—Vanetia's husband, Conor, is a stroke survivor whose recovery's being monitored by an American brain researcher, Ted (Will Forte), who's camped out in their teenage son's bedroom—but the plot starts ticking over as Ted, played as a standoffish nerd at first, loosens up and starts to bond with mother and son.

Edward MacLiam gives a convincing performance as Conor, a volatile wild child who's entranced by the animals in a petting zoo but taunts his son with homophobic slurs; Conor's parents turn up in a couple of scenes as reminders of the old, unforgiving Ireland that we're familiar with from films like "Philomena." (If the script has a fault, it's that these intergenerational conflicts seem a little cut and dried.) That's a lot to pack into 106 minutes, but Vanetia and Ted's grass-fed (wait for it!), flirtatious friendship is pretty delightful and saves the film from being just another grim indie study of family conflict. Great locations, great music, from the Magnetic Fields to a haunting Irish lament.

* After more than two years, still only available on Blu-ray or as an expensive rental on Amazon… Gobshites! [01/07/17]

quietly played

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 22 November 2015]

Furniture maker Conor Casey had a stroke and struggles with disturbing behaviors. He goes home with his wife Vanetia, two kids and American neuroscientist Ted Fielding (Will Forte) who is documenting Conor for the next two months. Ted doesn't expect any improvements and Vanetia isn't happy with his presence initially. The son Lenny is getting teased at school as gay. Conor's father is angry at his dysfunction.

There are some interesting family struggles. However, only Maxine Peake seems to have the opportunity to do some big acting. The rest are fine but not really allowed to have their moments. Even when the characters have their various blow-ups, it is mostly quietly observed. It doesn't try to overdramatize but I think it needs to have that energy. It doesn't really have enough cinematic tension.

Turn around

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 9 June 2014]

It's hard to tell what the right choices are in life. It's even harder if someone close to you has an illness, how you should react to that. And if there is also an outside force trying to come in from the outside (whatever the original motives are), that it gets even tougher. So decisions are being made that are not only rational.

But while this drama seems to be concentrating on an illness, it is giving us human beings, who just are reacting to each other and the circumstances they find themselves in. This either will appeal to you right away or you will dislike it. Good thing is, you can tell early on if this drama is something you want to watch or not

Nice camera work, good acting, thorough character study, catholic ending

[rundee · 6/10 · 3 March 2014]

The other reviews already described it: It's an artsy, independent, European movie. If you liked sunshine cleaning, Juno and/or little miss sunshine, you'll probably like this one too, although it has no comic scenes in it. And you won't see the hard stuff of brain-seizures, so it's a family-friendly movie. But what really, really bugged me was the catholic, conservative, misogynistic ending. Off course there was no room to even think about staying altogether, off course there had to be a decision made and also off course it had to be made without the handicapped, but for him. And off course the woman is happy to relinquish, because that's the way they are.

I find this very sad, because all of the (state) money for the movie is wasted, if you're not able to make a movie that challenges the audience to dream or think in a new way or question their way of thinking. A solution would have been an open end, but that was also not done here. With this ending it's more of a cheesy lifetime-movie...

It Is Simply A Nice Film Worth Watching

[FilmMan47 · 5/10 · 3 February 2014]

run and jump 2013 starting Maxine Peake,Will Forte,Edward Macliam the cast impressed me with the acting i never expected.

the plot:American doctor goes to Ireland to help out Casey's husband Conor after he suffers a stroke that changes him completely.

the direction was good by Steph Green all the scenes looked beautiful a treat for the eyes.

i wasn't expecting anything but the surprise was that i actually liked this movie.

its got everything,emotions,good acting the script was strong with dialogs that will get you hooked on for a long time.

overall its one of the film one must see make no mistake about it that its a sad movie no way guys its got messages and a happy ending.

My Rating For Run & Jump 2013 is 5/10 a 5 star film this it.recommended.

Bravo!

[Alexiville-737-317528 · 10/10 · 14 July 2013]

As an American living in Dublin (Ireland) and an avid film lover, I had the pleasure to attend the Run & Jump premier at the Galway film festival (located on west coast of Ireland) last night. I am a huge fan of will forte's comedy and think that he has successfully crossed over to a dramatic roles with Run & Jump (think Jeff Daniels)... And, for the film, it was a powerful story of a family faced with a challenging change to their lives - I don't think their was a dry eye in the theater... This film has the great qualities of European independent film making, with its deep exploration of human experience... How people deal with extraordinary circumstances in their own lives but which are unfortunately difficult realities for many. My connection to this film was very personal - my mother's personality changed due to a chronic medical condition - and so it helped me see how others deal with these experiences - especially since it is based on the writer's personal experience with her own father... I think it would also help those who have not had direct experience understand what other's go through. Therefore whether the writer intended to or not, this film is an important expression of these challenges and can serve (inadvertently) as a contributing form of therapy. Please note cinematography (understated and spectacular), sounds (you can feel and hear basic movements such as the scratching of a beard hence drawing you into the characters thoughts) and for non-Irish please also note that jumping into the freezing Irish Sea is a right of passage here... I can say more but will conclude that I also believe this film is important to our society and should have access to the general public... (Typos here due to iPad keyboard)

Well-Intentoned But Excruciatingly Slow

[asc85 · 2/10 · 8 June 2014]

I suppose it's evil to criticize a film about the recovery of a stroke victim, but this isn't a documentary, and the primary focus of the movie is instead about the relationship that evolves between the academic monitoring Conor, the stroke victim, and Conor's wife. And it was all so slow and uneventful. I came very close to shutting it off after about an hour, but I have this weird movie code of trying to see films all the way through, if I can, no matter how bad it might be.

I realize that the reviews thus far have been overwhelmingly positive. All I can say is that according to IMDb, it played in America for one week only on two screens before going to DVD. That's it, and it didn't exactly break any box office records during that engagement as well. So that, hopefully, should tell you something about this film. I see I'm the first American commenting on this movie...we'll see what others think.

Emotive, thought-provoking, sensitive & enjoyable

[catherine-moylan · 10/10 · 4 February 2014]

Before I saw this movie, I had a small idea as to what the main storyline was about. I wondered how the story would be captured on film. It exceeded all my expectations and managed to deliver far beyond that. It is such a sensitive portrayal of a situation. I liked the way the film was peppered with humour and it showed how people can find humour or use humour to deal with the potential sadness of a situation. It's quintessentially Irish without being twee or 'oirish'! The acting is superb also. I often think that a good sign of a movie is one that leaves an impression and becomes the topic of conversation for days/weeks afterwards. This movie made that great impression and I look forward to seeing it again soon.

Incredibly polished movie, with great performances

[Dan-121 · 10/10 · 9 March 2014]

Run & Jump is a beautiful, slickly produced movie, with great performances from the cast. The plot involves an American neuro-psychologist, Dr. Ted Fielding, who stays with the Casey family in Ireland to observe the father of the family, Conor, who has suffered a stroke that has changed his personality.

Ted is a reserved and slightly awkward professor who is dedicated to his work, leaving no time for family. Ted initially keeps himself detached from members of the family but gradually becomes emotionally involved. This is especially so with Vanetia, Conor's wife, who despite having to deal with the difficult circumstances that have been thrust upon her family, maintains a cheery and optimistic outlook ("schnitzeling" it, as she says) on things. However, Vanetia's increasing frustration with Conor's inability to reconnect with his family and his occasionally child-like behaviour, nudges her to form a bond with Ted, the only other adult in the household. The initially guarded Ted begins to open up and the complicated emotions that ensue create a dilemma for himself and Vanetia.

Maxine Peake is genial and radiant as Vanetia. Will Forte gives another understated and sensitive performance, similar to his breakout performance in Nebraska. Edward MacLiam is effective as the mentally damaged Conor. Child actors Brendan Morris and Ciara Gallagher also give solid performances as Lenny and Noni, respectively.

Apart from the central premise, the movie is peppered with light amusing moments (laugh yoga, the toilet scene, sympathy Susan, Ted's "birthday gift" from a friend etc.) that feel genuine and add a comedic touch. It also makes use of montage sequences that effectively build upon the underlying emotions. I found the ending slightly melancholy but strangely hopeful. This is probably due in part to Ted's emotional awakening. The final scenes showing Ted's expressions are so genuinely affecting that it leaves you pensive. The film raises difficult questions and does not try to pretend that there are easy answers, which feels authentic. As the saying goes, life is complicated. How you deal with and what you can take away from it are ultimately what that matters the most. 10 out of 10.

Stellar Independent Drama,

[lesleyharris30 · 8/10 · 14 March 2017]

Run 8 Jump is a great movie with a well written plot and a top notch cast. It's a sweet, enlightening and somewhat heartbreaking film, dealing with some very serious issues of family as the people here undergo some harsh times. It is also a film about realisation, of people seeing where they stand in this world. We see this mainly in Vanetia, who is a very developed, strong female character.

My main issue with this film would actually be the way it was advertised, as the tone is completely different. The advertisements made this look like a very happy, feel good film with a bit of drama, whereas it has significantly more weight and heavier undertones than we ever would have gotten from those trailers.

The cast is stellar, Maxine Peake shines in the lead role, clearly having put a lot of depth and thought in to her character. Will Forte is also fantastic in a very unlikely turn for him, well known for his Saturday Night Live sketches, I would never have pictured him in such a toned down, very human role, and he is spectacular in it. Every cast member gets a chance to shine in this film. Edward MacLiam has some great, hard hitting moments and even the child stars have some rough dialogue that they deliver with pure emotion, particularly Brendan Morris, who plays Peake's son in the movie, coming to terms with the situation his parents are in.

It is very real, there is really no "movie clichés" here, it's a drama about human issues. Dramatic, well acted and very engrossing, Run & Jump is certainly worth the watch for anyone looking for a good drama.

An American doctor travels to study a family following their fathers stroke.

Best Performance: Maxine Peake