Review: Fast Girls
Last night we were invited to The Mayfair Hotel for a special screening of the new movie Fast Girls, put on by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF). After hearing the buzz about the movie and seeing the trailer here and there, we were eager to see if it lived up to the hype.
Fast Girls is primarily the story of lead character Shania Andrews (played by Lenora Crichlow), a 200m runner from a not-so-great area who makes it on to Team GB. When she goes to train alongside the other Team GB athletes, a bitter rivalry flares up between her and fellow 200m runner Lisa Temple (played by Lily James). This proves to be a quite a problem when Shania is given the last place on the 4 x 100m relay squad, of which Lisa in the star and runs the anchor leg. The film follows the team as they struggle to bond and their athletic performance is affected.
Obviously, knowing that the female leads are actresses and not athletes, you’re on the look out for how realistic it’s all going to look, but these ladies pull it off seamlessly. They trained for seven weeks alongside real life Team GB Olympic hopefuls, mastering a gruelling training program, which rumour has it, made them very competitive. The training definitely paid off as they are all totally believable as athletes not just in build but in movement.
Whether you are a competitive runner or not, during the training and racing scenes in this movie, you’ll get the same buzz you get when you’re lining up at the start line yourself, adrenalin pumping. There hasn’t been a British movie about athletics since Chariots of Fire and the fact that this has four strong female leads is something to shout about. In fact, to have a movie with four strong female leads who aren’t airheads or there to play the background for the male characters is really refreshing. This movie focuses on training hard to achieve a goal, which is a great message. It’s about time female athletes got the big screen time they deserve.
So whether you’re into sports or not, Fast Girls is most definitely worth a watch. It’s a real feel good movie, funny, touching packed full of the kind of umph that makes you want to leave the cinema right after, throw on your running kit and do a victory lap of the nearest track.
Fast Girls is released at cinemas nationwide on June 15th
This looks like its the next Bend It Like Beckham, but with more gumption! =D Stoked to watch it! =)
a film with women leads??? about sport???? FANTASTIC! I cannot wait to see a film that I can enjoy without having to first switch off my feminist brain.
Contrary to this article, I was left disappointed by a lack of any real depth to the story line which petered out towards an ultimately expected ‘finale’. The central characters performed an adequate if unispiring role. The most surprising aspect of the production was that it was not straight to DVD.
Trailer looks great. Pity they did not employ REAL runners though. Those were the sloppiest running drills I have seen in a long while. What they put on the big screen is not what REALLY takes place at an ELITE level (Olympic, Commonwealth Games, Worlds, etc). Fun movie story, but it is just that, a movie story. I know what real runners look like, and act like, and behave like – I am a retired world level runner, a National Level 1 Athletic Coach, current division 5000m champion. big Smiles and Best of Success with your movie.