In Stronger, Jeff Bauman goes to see the Boston Marathon to impress a girl named Erin, and loses his legs to a terrorist’s bomb. His obnoxious family rushes to the hospital and continues to scream at each other throughout the film. In contrast, Erin’s demeanor is reserved. She dumped Jeff before the race, was wary of meeting him at the finish line, and is challenged by his injury and subsequent double amputation. But she still shows up to be at his bedside and takes a slew of undisguised verbal abuse from Jeff’s alcoholic mother. In addition, two other issues take center stage: the unflinchingly realistic portrayal of Jeff’s recuperation, and the constant pressure exerted by the Boston community to have Jeff be their “poster boy” for the “Boston Strong” mantra.
With the plot laid out like this, it seems perfect for a TV movie, but instead, John Pollono’s screenplay from Bauman’s book, David Gordon Green’s direction, and outstanding performances by Jake Gyllenhaal as Jeff and Tatiana Maslany as Erin create a movie that is something special.
The opening scenes cleverly provide the setup: Jeff burning all the chickens at COSTCO’s rotisserie, then convincing his co-workers that they should clean up the mess because he has to be seated in his lucky seat at his local bar drinking a lucky beer. “I wasn’t in my lucky seat for the last two games,” Jeff argues, “and they lost.” The “they” in that statement are the Boston Red Sox, and in bean town, lucky seats and lucky beers are taken very, very seriously.
The bar is a far cry from the calm, quiet Boston setting portrayed in the TV show Cheers. In this noisy, crowded place, one end of the bar is held up by what the audience correctly assumes is the almost constant presence of Jeff’s mother (Miranda Richardson). She arrives early and stays until closing. Although they live in another part of town, Erin and her sister show up with a collection jar to support Erin’s next-day run in the Boston Marathon. Jeff promises Erin he will be there rooting for her and carrying a big poster, and indeed, he wakes up early to make the poster, and leaves his hungover mother whining about getting her some aspirin and her breakfast.
Then, a refreshingly original series of scenes unfold. After catching glimpses of Jeff on the sidewalk jostling for a space to see the runners, we shift to Erin’s point-of-view on the course. When the first and second explosion go off, her confusion is palpable. She stops running, and begins walking away from the race. She finds a phone and tries to explain to someone at the other end of the line that her clothing and purse are on the other side of all the chaos. By chance, she sees a picture of the badly injured Jeff being tended to by a man in a straw cowboy hat, and realizes she needs to head to the hospital—but which one?
Jeff’s mom gets a phone call, and by the time Erin finds the right hospital, a hundred yelling family members from dozens of different bomb victims crowd the stressed-to-the-limits facilities. In the waiting room, confusion reigns until Jeff’s boss from COSTCO arrives with a basket of muffins. He offers help and assures Jeff’s mother and father that as far as the company is concerned, Jeff still works for them and the company insurance will pay for almost everything. The anger dissipates and everyone’s favorite kind of muffin is chosen.
As soon as Jeff wakes up, Big D (Nate Richman) tells him, “There was a bomb, and it blew off your f—–g legs.” In response, Jeff asks for pen and paper, writes “how is Erin,” and ends his note with the statement “saw the bomber.” Big D runs to find the FBI guys, and the entire city (and most of the USA) label Jeff a “HERO.”
But the mantle of heroism weighs heavy on Jeff’s shoulders, and it isn’t until he meets with Carlos (Carlos Sanz), the man in the straw cowboy hat who saved Jeff’s life, that he has the epiphany that shifts his attitude and allows the movie’s uplifting conclusion.
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At the Rialto in Sebastopol: Showtimes 1:30, 4:10, 7:10, 9:45. (Please check online at http://www.rialtocinemas.com/index.php?location=sebastopol because showtimes can change.)
