Running for Jenny

This story follows the journey of a family that is going through a medical situation involving one daughter’s need for a kidney (Jenny), her sister Maureen, and their parents/friends. Maureen is a senior in high school and is apparently looking for an outside interest, so she decides to start by trying to join a sport, though she has never played any. Through a series of failures in various sports, she finds that she has a natural gift for running. During this time her little sister is undergoing problems with diabetes, and we find that she is about to begin dialysis. We are led to believe that she was, at some point, in an accident and is not able to walk. This is the only question mark that I have for this movie, is she handicapped due to the accident or due to the diabetes? Does she have diabetes due to the accident, or is it just a medical condition? Minor stuff.

We meet a group of runners and are introduced to John, the top 5 runner in the country. This guy has serious issues with his ego and doesn’t think that any one can beat him. Maureen does beat him, and so we begin the journey of Maureens’s running career. She is the fastest in the state and possibly the country, and all the colleges want her. Even Nike wants her to go pro and makes a lucrative offer. I do not want to give away too much of the movie, but Maureen decides that she will dedicate all her wins to Jenny.

There are some fantastic scenes in this movie that deal with friendship, and this family sticks together as a team through both good and bad. Jenny sees her sister Maureen as better than sliced bread, and looks up to her as her mentor. We see, in the end, that it works both ways. Maureen truly looks up to her younger sister for her strength and courage. We also see how a person can change, as we see John and his big ego come down to a real world size by the end of this movie.

I understand that this is the first feature film for director Blake Grantham and Damascus Road Productions, and I can only say one thing to them, keep on keeping on. This movie flowed almost flawlessly throughout and kept me interested the whole way. The camera work was a little choppy, at times, but is understandable due to the probable lack of funding. If you are looking for a big-time Hollywood production, this is not it, but the heart is all there. I have seen movies made with millions of dollars that I would rate lower than this one. I give this movie a “B” for quality and an “A+” for heart. I think of the makers of “Flywheel” and “Facing The Giants” and have faith that as long as they give God the glory for their work, He will bless them in this industry.

As a Christian moviemaking company, my only problem with this movie is the lack of prayer for God’s help in their time of need. Philippians 4:6 says,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

God wants us to ask Him for help and trust Him to take care of us. Maureen showed no desire to please herself; she did things in this movie that most of us would have avoided doing to have a more comfortable life. She sacrificed!!

Brittani-Cal Williamson was superb in her role as Maureen, but I also want to give respect to the cast and crew that put this together; they all did an outstanding job.

There is no objectionable content that someone maybe 8 or less would be bothered with, and this film provides a lesson in sacrifice and togetherness.

Violence: None / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.