STRONGER

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Richard Lane Jr., Nate Richman 

Director David Gordon Green

 1hr 56m

Here we have yet another inspirational drama based on a true story. A humble, moderately likeable individual suffers a tragic injury in the terrorist bombing incident in Boston, is motivated to overcome this momentous hardship but soon grows frustrated and becomes self-destructive. Eventually, he discovers what really matters in his life, and realises he is all the richer for having endured and surmounted this adverse situation. Unfortunately, despite this kind of narrative being drooled over by the American market, it’s all too easy to spot the machinations of a hideously contrived screenplay, which is typed out and reformatted simply to target an emotionally needy audience’s buttons. Clearly the filmmakers assumed that this faux uplifting story would mask the banality of the presentation. The generically titled Stronger hovers between mediocre and borderline passable, although it mostly leans toward the former. It’s well acted only by Gyllenhall and Maslany, but in the final analysis, it is too average to warrant your full investment. It’s deeply unfortunate, given the trauma encountered by the actual individuals and the challenges they faced - but just because someone has experienced a trying and seemingly insurmountable ordeal in real life doesn't mean their experience will automatically make for compelling cinema.

Based on the same-name memoir by Jeff Bauman and Brett Witter, Stronger follows Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal) after he loses both his legs during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Bauman was a spectator at the race, waiting at the finishing line for his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Erin (Tatiana Maslany), with whom he hoped to get back together. Days later, he wakens up in a hospital bed to be told he has had a double leg  amputation from the knees down and that he might never walk again. His family, of course, is devastated, overwhelmed and angered by this news, especially his compulsive, alcoholic and over-protective mother, Patty (an annoyingly hammy and poor performance from Miranda Richardson), with whom Jeff lives.  Once Jeff processes his situation, he initially vows to do whatever it takes to walk again, but his determination and willing attitude gradually give way to feelings of frustration, anger and anxiety, especially when he's deemed the unofficial spokesperson and symbol for marathon survivors. 

The problem with Stronger is that it doesn't contextualize its drama in a way we haven't seen before. It is in the main poorly directed, badly performed, the script is dire and if it weren’t for Gyllenhall the direct route to Netflix and disc would be even more rapid.