Have you heard of Tracktown, USA? I hadn’t.
Tracktown is the nickname of Eugene, Oregon, which is also known as “The Track and Field Capital Of The World”. Wikipedia reliably informs me that it was Eugene that introduced jogging to the US, thanks to Bill Bowerman, who discovered the concept on a visit to New Zealand in 1962. Eugene was also home to Steve Prefontaine, the famous Olympic runner who died at the age of 24 in a car accident. Bowerman and Prefontaine have both been commemorated in the films Prefontaine, Without Limits and Fire On The Track, the latter two of which were filmed in Eugene.
And it is in this storied city where we meet Tracktown‘s heroine, Plumb (Alexi Pappas).
Running
Plumb is a runner, who lives at home with her dad, Burt (Andy Buckley), an ex-runner who now spends his days organizing fun-runs and planning marathons. Though Plumb just about qualifies for the Olympic track trials, she gets injured during the race, her physiotherapist demanding that she take a day off. Running is Plumb’s whole life, and a day off is not something that she takes lightly, especially so close to the most important race of her career. But with the risk of further injury looming, she decides to obey her physio’s instructions.
Though initially dumbfounded at the thought of a day without running, Plumb decides to take the opportunity to get to know Sawyer (Chase Offerle), the cute boy that works at the bakery and supports her cookie obsession. She also spends time with her mom (Rachel Dratch), who has been largely absent from Plumb’s life, after suffering a nervous breakdown. By the end of the day, she finds herself changed from the woman she was when she woke up.
Plumb The Woman-Child
As Tracktown was warming up, my hopes where fairly high. I’m fond of stories that demystify success; still respecting the enormity of people’s achievements, but making it clear that we are all just humans, and everyone, even Olympic-level runners, have their own fears and flaws.
Soon though, it becomes clear that co-writers and directors Alexi Pappas and Jeremy Teicher are determined to take the film too far in that direction. Plumb Marigold (a name so sickly sweet it’s at constant danger of inducing vomit) is a woman-child. The film intends to make her naive in an endearing way, but most of the time she comes off as developmentally stunted. It’s in everything from the way she dresses, her floppy rain-hat and spiky backpack, to the way she talks. Her favorite hobby is coloring and she’s addicted to cookies. After her first romantic encounter with Sawyer, she confides to her friend “I kissed a boy!”
And this childishness makes the relationship with Sawyer awkward, verging on creepy. He even has to check with her before they get intimate, “Sure you’re not 15?”. In the midst of an embrace, he blissfully proclaims “You’re so small!”. The relationship between Plumb and Sawyer isn’t exactly electrifying in the first place, but when you add in this unsavory element, it makes matters much worse.
Tracktown wants to make it clear that a single-minded devotion to running has left Plumb a late bloomer in other areas of her life, but the degree to which it exaggerates this point is unnecessary, unrealistic, and left me unable to emphathize with her as a peer. Considering that as well as starring in this film, real-life runner Alexi Pappas also co-wrote and co-directed it, this is particularly disappointing.
Too Many Issues, Not Enough Time
My other main problem with Tracktown is that it tries to deal with too many issues without giving them the time they deserve. Andy Buckley is one of Tracktown‘s few bright spots. As in The Office, he’s an interesting presence, with a placid demeanor that covers the suggestion of internal strife. But the film isn’t interested in exploring this any further. It’s a similar situation with Rachel Dratch as Plumb’s mom. Dratch gives an intriguing, edgy performance, but the film just doesn’t seem to care about the reasons behind her breakdown.
Other characters too, suffer from this superficial treatment. As Sawyer and Plumb’s relationship grows, he seems to be experiencing an inferiority complex, as a baker dating an Olympic-level athlete. But as soon as that potential for conflict rears its head, it has disappeared, without causing a ripple.
Even Plumb is awarded some half-hearted issues. The physio who demands she take a day off also raises concerns about her bone density, and the fact that she hasn’t had a period in two years. It seems like the start of an investigation into the effects of serious running on women’s bodies. But, yet again, that line of inquiry is banished before it yields any worthwhile insight. It’s all very well setting out to tackle a host of issues, but by not giving them the time and the attention that they deserve makes Tracktown seem shallow.
In Conclusion
Of all the disappointing things about Tracktown, perhaps the most egregious is that Pappas‘s real life background as a runner is wasted. Sure, we get to see the bizarre devices that runners use to work out, and we witness the meat and carb heavy diet. But these are things that could be learned through research – there’s nothing here that could only be illustrated by having a runner at its creative core.
And so what you’re left with is a cutesy, generic, unfunny indie film, with an overgrown infant at its centre, and only the most surface-level interest in any of its other characters or themes. The only way it works is as an advertisement for Eugene, Oregon.
What’s the best film you’ve seen about running, or athletes in general? Tell us in the comments below!
Tracktown will be released in the US on the May 12, 2017. For all international releases, see here.
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.