Rating: PG
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 11/17/2009
Dubbed: English
Sound: DDM2.0
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Criterion
Director
Michael Ritchie's ongoing satirical spin on the American Dream is dressed up in quasi-documentary fashion in
Downhill Racer. Robert Redford stars as an Olympic-grade skier, whose talent is matched only by his aloof self-involvement. As the cocksure
Redford rises to the top of his class, he discards any emotional attachments that might impede his progress, ranging from girlfriends to his own father. When
Redford finally attains his goal in life, the thrill of victory is an empty one indeed. The cold-bloodedness of
Redford's character may have worked against
Downhill Racer at the box office; on the other hand,
Ritchie's similarly structured political satire
The Candidate offered a "warmer"
Redford -- but it, too, was a box-office disappointment.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide