Title: 1 Mile to You
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Director: Leif Tilden
Starring: Graham Rogers, Liana Liberato, Billy Crudup
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
What It Is: Kevin (Rogers) is both a talented runner and the only survivor of an accident involving the remainder of his team. In the accident, he lost the girl he loved Ellie (Stefanie Scott) and cannot help but get a sinking feeling in his guts that he’s someplace he shouldn’t be. Alive. Now at a new school and struggling to deal with that and his inner demons. He runs to escape the pain, and perhaps cause himself a little that he feels he’s earned.
What We Think: Equal parts sad and hopeful it’s an intriguing look at how grief can affect someone. It’s also literal proof that you cannot outrun your demons. They haunt you, they always will. It’s about how you deal with that that truly makes us who we are. Graham Rogers isn’t a good enough actor to quite get there emotionally. Liana Liberato is meh. It’s Billy Crudup that steals the show. This isn’t his first rodeo with grief either. He previously stole the show in the William H. Macy-directed Rudderless. Nothing too spectacular in the chair from Tilden and the range shown is minuscule given the talent assembled. It’s his first feature behind the lens though so insofar as that goes well done.
Our Grade: C, Certainly a film that could set the bar for mediocrity and fair to midland filmmaking this one struggles to emote and that’s kind of the films whole gimmick. The two young leads will have other more impressive parts in the future but for now, everything was just very meh. I recommend it if you want a movie that may give you a good cry, particularly if you’re not one who can tell good acting from bad. It might JUST reach you. Having said that buyer beware for sure.