Tyson's Run
A movie that was advertised as based on a true story, Tyson's Run focuses on an autistic teenager trying to gain his distant father's love by winning a marathon. I chose to watch it for that exact reason.
First of all, it's not at all based on a true story. The creator even said so. Certain streaming services and news sources gave incorrect information. Secondly, they clearly don't know anything about running, or marathon training. It was embarrassing to watch.
However, as a family drama, it was pretty well acted. A father being disappointed that he has a special needs child is not an uncommon thing. An autistic teenager wanting to go to a real school instead of being home schooled by an overprotective mother is also not uncommon.
The best part is that the actor cast to play Tyson is in fact, autistic, which is it gets 3 stars instead of 1. However, it's slightly diminished that the filmmaker didn't know that until after he was cast. Autistic characters should be played by autistic people, for representation and for accuracy. The fact that he didn't know the actor was autistic meant that a major faux pas could have been made.
I really can't recommend this movie at all. The family drama, as I mentioned, is heartwarming to see the father and son grow closer, but that doesn't deserve 100 minutes. And the running part is just unforgivable. I'm amazed they knew it was 26.2 miles; it really was that stupid.
A movie that was advertised as based on a true story, Tyson's Run focuses on an autistic teenager trying to gain his distant father's love by winning a marathon. I chose to watch it for that exact reason.
First of all, it's not at all based on a true story. The creator even said so. Certain streaming services and news sources gave incorrect information. Secondly, they clearly don't know anything about running, or marathon training. It was embarrassing to watch.
However, as a family drama, it was pretty well acted. A father being disappointed that he has a special needs child is not an uncommon thing. An autistic teenager wanting to go to a real school instead of being home schooled by an overprotective mother is also not uncommon.
The best part is that the actor cast to play Tyson is in fact, autistic, which is it gets 3 stars instead of 1. However, it's slightly diminished that the filmmaker didn't know that until after he was cast. Autistic characters should be played by autistic people, for representation and for accuracy. The fact that he didn't know the actor was autistic meant that a major faux pas could have been made.
I really can't recommend this movie at all. The family drama, as I mentioned, is heartwarming to see the father and son grow closer, but that doesn't deserve 100 minutes. And the running part is just unforgivable. I'm amazed they knew it was 26.2 miles; it really was that stupid.