Runner Stumbles (1979)
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Reviews Counted: 9
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 5
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 3
liked it
Average Rating: 5/5
User Ratings: 14
Movie Info
Director Stanley Kramer ended his career with this absorbing drama, adapted from the play by Milan Stitt and based on a real-life event from 1927. Dick Van Dyke stars as Father Rivard, an intellectual priest in a small, impoverished mining town in the state of Washington. A lonely man with low self-esteem, Rivard is depressed by the arduous and dreary lives of his flock, until the arrival of Sister Rita (Kathleen Quinlan), a bright, spirited young nun who joins his parish to teach at its school.
Dec 13, 1990
Cast
-
Dick Van Dyke
Father Rivard -
Kathleen Quinlan
Sister Rita -
Maureen Stapleton
Mrs. Shandig -
Ray Bolger
Monsignor Nicholson -
Tammy Grimes
Erna -
Beau Bridges
Toby -
Allen Nause
Prosecutor -
John Procaccino
Amos -
Sister Marguerite Morriss...
Sister Immaculata -
Zoaunne Le Roy
Sister Martha -
Don Riley
Maurice -
Ted D'Arms
Sheriff -
Kendall Kay Munsey
Louise -
Casey Kramer
Marie -
Jim Doyle
Matt Webber -
Katharine Kramer
Sophie -
Bill Dore
Judge -
Jock Dove
Dr. McNabb -
Larry Buck
Fire Chief -
Billy Jayne
James
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (9) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (5)
Throughout, the film is paced by fine performances, especially Van Dyke as Father Rivard, Quinlan as Sister Rita and Maureen Stapleton as Van Dyke's housekeeper.
Deadly earnestness over Van Dyke's tortured celibacy becomes risible long before the Perry Mason conclusion and a final scene of indescribable bathos.
Top CriticMr. Van Dyke's performance, though extremely sympathetic, is hard to assess. He worries and suffers, but the film finds nothing vital in his ordeal.
In its relentlessly old-fashioned way, The Runner Stumbles has a sort of dramatic persistence: It's not great, but it's there.
A compelling and memorable drama, via Stanley Kramer.
The main problem with the film is that inherent to most play adaptations: it's too talky and static, with most of the responsibility for story development left to explanatory dialog.
The Runner Stumbles is an exceptionally fine film about the exigencies of a religious calling and a critique of the legalism within Christianity.
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Runner Stumbles yet.
What's Hot On RT
Pictures from a zombie nation
Woody Allen in San Francisco
See the Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Where does This Is the End rank?
Fresh Links
Featured
Movie: ID: 770887703 Title: Runner Stumbles Release Date: null MPAA: 2 Status: 1
The Looks of Johnny Depp
To celebrate the star's birthday, BuzzSugar looks at the many faces of Johnny Depp.
10 Egregious Product Placements
Rolling Stone wonders if The Internship goes too far... then provides 10 examples of movies that did.
Horror Movie Mistakes
Moviefone offers up 8 of the most obvious glaring errors in popular fright flicks.
10 Bad Movies That Look Great
Sometimes even terrible movies can be beautiful; here are 10 of them, from HitFix.
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Featured on RT
- Video Interviews with Cast & Crew of Monsters University 0
- Digital Multiplex: 21 & Over, Quartet, and More 1
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Jack the Giant Slayer and Quartet 21
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Man of Steel Sets June Record 101
- Weekly Ketchup: Man of Steel Sequel In the Works 187
- Five Favorite Films with Joss Whedon 125
- Bonus Footage of the Cast & Crew of Man of Steel 1
Top Headlines
