Olympic Dreams

Or a rusty nail..it's all relative and relevant and real like this movie.

There were moments I wasn't sure I was watching a movie.

It's not a blockbuster with murder and mystery and mega actors and that's the best part.

It's also not boring, unless you are entertained by the simplistic predictable nature of a..blockbuster with mega actors solving the mystery of a murder or the end of the world..*snooze... I hope to see more from the two leads and from the writer/director of this truly original little film. All the actors were so genuine. Not too trendy and not too cool, but better than those.

The title and premise with the Olympics might sideline your curiosity (and maybe peak it) and you get a but of that too.

Embrace your curiosity and enjoy yourself.

It's a fascinating look into the life inside the Olympic Village! Thank you for the artist in residence program that enables this film to happen!

As far as sports romcoms go, this is an unusual movie, in that it's shot at the Olympic Village during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. This very real backdrop is fleshed out in a bunch of scenes with equally real athletes, capturing an unfamiliar flavour.

Starring alongside the established Nick Kroll is the movie's co-writer, Alexi Pappas, former Olympian, just like Gus Kenworthy and Morgan Schild, who also have small roles to play. There's a bit of a Lost in Translation (in sports) feeling to Olympic Dreams, which unfortunately doesn't get the chance to really catch on, as the movie stumbles to its predictable finale. The good thing is Pappas and Kroll are both likable on screen, and Pappas captures a bit of the forlorn solitude of elite athletes and the harsh realities of the Olympic cycle.

Not in enough depth to really make the movie memorable, but sufficiently to put a personal twist to a familiar tale.

Bare with me little off topic, athletes life is short, participating in Olympic shall be all athletes dream. The effort each of them behind I can tell is indescribable, it's a tragedy if Tokyo Olympic is cancelled, even delay for 2 years, some athletes may be not physically fit or in his/her best form to play. Watching this movie makes me even more emotional when seeing athletes step in the award ceremony but this scene may be not seen in this year summer :(. The story itself is ok given the background happening in Olympic village is first time filmed. Just hope Tokyo Olympic will go on as usual.

This film was a delight. Touching, moving, raw, funny. The performances felt very real, even from the Olympians who probably had never acted before. The filmmaker was a one man crew and you wouldn't have guessed after watching it. Nick Kroll killed it. I recommend this movie.