Stronger

Jeff Bauman lost both legs waiting at the finish line for his girlfriend at the 2013 Boston Marathon. From his hospital bed he helped identify one of the bombers and was immediately declared a national hero. The weight of that title is the film's actual subject. David Gordon Green adapted the memoir Bauman wrote with Bret Witter and avoids the easy parts of a recovery story. Bauman is shown drinking, angry and wrecking his relationship, and being called a hero makes recovery harder rather than easier. The critical consensus caught it: the film gets past inspirational drama clichés. Jake Gyllenhaal leads, with Tatiana Maslany as Erin. The missing legs were created with visual effects. The box office was a disaster: 7.7 million dollars worldwide against a 30 million budget, opening in 574 theatres for 1.6 million. Who it is for: viewers who want trauma handled without being converted into triumph. Who it is not for: anyone looking for a motivational story. Most of this film does the opposite.