The new romantic comedy - "Olympic Dreams" - is a behind the rings look at romance and the life of an elite athlete at the Games, but does it earn a gold medal? Linda Jager is here with her take in this week’s Friday Film Review.
The Olympic Village at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea is the setting for the new romantic comedy "Olympic Dreams". The film stars Olympian Alexi Pappas, a real-life long distance 2016 Olympian from Greece who plays a U.S. Nordic athlete, Penelope, in the film. It’s Penelope’s first trip to the Games, and her Olympic experience opens on a somber note as she is less than thrilled with her performance in her first race.
With her event now behind her, the 22-year-old Penelope embarks on some soul searching while exploring the culture inside and outside the Olympic Village.
Comedian Nick Kroll co stars in the film as Ezra, a 37-year old dentist from the East Coast who’s volunteered his services at the Games. Kroll, best known for Comedy Central’s "Kroll Show" and the Netflix animated series "Big Mouth", takes a slightly dramatic turn portraying Ezra, who like Penelope, is also contemplating what’s next in his life, while his on again off again finance is back in the States.
Penolope and Ezra meet by chance souvenir shopping in the Olympic Village when Ezra recognizes Penelope after spotting her in the athlete’s dining hall. Ezra decides to cheer up a tearful Penolope with a stuffed Soohorang, the Games mascot. The two strike up a conversation and become fast friends and enjoy a day and evening out and about in Pyeongchang.
The romantic tension between Penelope and Ezra is palpable, but their 15-year age gap keeps things in check.
Concurrent to the romantic storyline, "Olympic Dreams" offers filmgoers with a rare, behind-the-scenes look at life inside the Olympic Village. Through Penolope’s exchanges with fellow athletes, Erza’s chats with athlete patients during dental exams, viewers meet a variety of Olympians who share their Games experience on and off the field of play.
Two-time freestyle Olympian Gus Kenworthy plays himself in the film, along with several cameo appearances by some familiar U.S. athletes and other Olympians representing the sports of Skeleton, Snowboarding, Freeskiing, Cross-Country and more.
Olympic Dreams was directed by indie filmmaker Jeremy Teicher, who co-wrote the screenplay with stars Pappas and Kroll. The film was made through the International Olympic Committee’s Artist in Residence program which selected four Olympians, who are also artists, to create works depicting the “spirit of Olympism”.
Rated PG-13 (for some language and sexual references) and running 82 minutes, "Olympic Dreams" makes it to the top spot on the podium and is a must see, especially for locals whose Olympic spirit remains high.
