The Terry Fox Story

This movie is right up there with Rocky and maybe even more uplifting as it is based on a true story. It is a story of Terry Fox, a young man diagnosed with cancer and forced to give up most of his leg. In the hospital he is horrified at the condition of the young children who are fighting various types of cancer. He decides to raise money by running across Canada. To this day there are Terry Fox races all over Canada to keep raising money for Terry's cause. This movie is out of production but I was able to rent it.

It's 1977. Athletic university kid Terry Fox (Eric Fryer) is diagnosed with cancer in his knee and his leg is amputated. With the help of new girlfriend Rika Noda (Rosalind Chao), brother Darrell Fox (Chris Makepeace) and best friend Doug Alward (Michael Zelniker), he starts running in races and decides to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. After breaking up with Rika and with little support, Terry and Doug start from Halifax as he runs home to Vancouver. He's later joined by Darrell and Bill Vigars (Robert Duvall) from the cancer society in Toronto.

The first part is functional TV affair. It's nothing spectacular but it works. The movie really gets going once he's on the road. Terry and Doug's relationship is compelling. It shows Terry to be not simply a saint but an actual human being. The receptions he gets are the real tearjerker. The movie then adds the great Robert Duvall to the mix. Obviously, Fryer got the job because of his amputation and his likeness to Terry. He is still a competent actor who is able to hit certain notes. Zelniker is amazing as Doug. This is a solid TV production of an inspiring figure.

just as Terry did in his short but heroic life. How accurate the movie is I am sure it is quite accurate but have heard of a few inaccuracies compared to the real road trip. I recommend this movie to anyone that loves a beautiful heartwarming true story but be warned as you must know the tears will come just a matter of how many and when.......Makepeace and Duvall do a great job portraying Terry and his publicist with a lot of the inside scenes being somewhat difficult to believe. If you get a chance to watch this made for TV movie you won't regret it one bit, truly a classic in Canadian history. There is a documentary on Terry as well which I will post a review on later.

Due to my age, I can only vaguely remember when Terry Fox was running across Canada, but his story is definitely a legendary one here in my country. This is a solid film that begins with his life immediately before his leg is amputated, but it focuses on the actual "Marathon of Hope". Some of the dialogue seems a little unrealistic at times, and the film often moves at too brisk a pace, but the acting is fairly good, and in spite of the flaws, this is a story that needs to be heard if you are unfamiliar with it. Terry Fox is widely regarded as a great Canadian hero...here's your chance to find out why.

Yes, here might be a movie where you have to break out the Kleenex and start sobbing. No, this real life drama/true story bypasses all of that, avoiding the sentimentality's, what have you. Real life cripple Eric fryer, playing Terry with honesty and realism, not overacting primarily makes this film. He's a very angry and bitter man, Participating in a walk for charity, with one leg, the other just a mechanical foot attached to a spring, which makes the journey harder, but inspirational, we follow the pitfalls, where at times, Fox gets really stormed up, at times, almost wanting to pack it in. Rosalund Chao, as his girlfriends adds some romantic moments, where Duvall, is great as the abused driver, transporting Fox, while Makepeace is likable as Fox's younger brother. Avoiding all that sop sop, a thing I really like about the film, it has a realist nature about it, and Fox's journey is one vastly travelled where he suffers a few hiccups, collapsing at one stage, while bleeding from his fake leg, where the end is an ultimate predictability. His anger and effrontery does get to you at times. This is a very entertaining drama, one I liked very much, where a similar film, of the same year, Running Brave, is one to check out too.