Miles from Perfection
Talented high school wrestler Frank Reilly (Ricky Schroder - Lonesome Dove) is less than impressed when he comes home to discover that not only has his parents opened his mail but they applied to Boston College in his name for a wrestling scholarship without discussing it first. His father John (James Farentino - A Cop for the Killing), a carpet fitter, wants more for his son than a lousy low paid job and when Frank tells him college is not in his plans he is furious at his son for throwing away an opportunity to better himself. But things take a different turn when having gone to a party when he should have been looking after his brother Emmett (Shawn Phelan); he is involved in a car crash leaving him in a coma. Much to John's annoyance Frank devotes himself to helping Emmett recover from the crash having felt responsible for it.
First things first "Miles from Nowhere" is a TV movie from 1992 but there is also a 2009 movie called "Miles from Nowhere" although it is more commonly known as "Chasing the Dream". The 1992 movie is about a pushy father of a son who wrestles and then devotes himself to his hospitalised brother, the 2009 movie is about a pushy father who trained his son to be a football star who gives it up to become a runner when a friend is hurt in an accident. So yes these two movies use for the most the same story with different characters and situations. I mention this because whenever one of these movies appear on TV you can guarantee that the TV schedules will give the wrong synopsis and details.
Anyway what we get to watch in "Miles from Nowhere" is a family conflict movie where Frank feeling responsible for his brother ending up in a coma because he cleared off to a party devotes himself to caring for him. The conflict comes from his father who thinks Frank is throwing his life away by doing this having already been at conflict over Frank not wanting to go to college. The trouble is that whilst we have some genuinely touching scenes as Frank cares for Emmett it is an incredibly bitty movie with scenes slamming in to each other and failing to create any real flow.
Despite this sense that "Miles from Nowhere" was hastily put together and failing to really get the right atmosphere or emotion it does feature good performances. A young Ricky Schroder brings anger and the right of the world to his character whilst Farentino not only gets the blue collared father bit but also does the shell shocked aspect right as his plans for his sons are destroyed.
What this all boils down to is that "Miles from Nowhere" is now an okay drama but one which feels a bit hastily made with no flow. As such I would suggest watching the more recent version called "Chasing the Dream" which has better emotion and drama.
