Tri (2016) | Film Review

There have been quite a few sports movies made over the years. We’ve had our fair share of films based on baseball, football, and hockey. We’ve also had ones based on the sport of running, such as “Prefontaine”, “Chariots of Fire”, and (more recently) “MacFarland, USA”. Outside of documentaries, however, I’ve yet to see a movie based on the intense sport of the triathlon.

Along comes “Tri”, which looks to be the first film to focus on this intense competition, and while I appreciated the foray into something in which I’m personally interested, it only mildly works as motivation to its audience to give this sport a shot. Still, it succeeds in informing viewers of just how involved preparing and competing in a triathlon truly can be.

Natalie is an ultrasound technician who doesn’t have a great track record of finishing what she starts. She gets the idea in her head that she wants to complete a triathlon, which is a combination of long-distance swimming, cycling, and running, all done in one consecutive race. Despite some discouragement from her husband and her best friend, she joins a group designed to train first-timers on their first triathlon. Natalie works with her new triathlete teammates as she tries to discover her potential and see if she has what it takes to finally finish something big in her life, while facing the physical and mental struggles associated with any great accomplishment.

Let’s be honest; running isn’t nearly as popular as the sports other movies tend to gravitate towards. As a cross-country coach myself, I’ve seen this first hand. High schools throw quite a bit more money at football, basketball, soccer, and volleyball programs than they do the sport I coached. As a runner, I was drawn to the film’s theme, specifically the complexity of how a sport like this truly can be. In my experiences, many people think that training for long-distance exercise is as simple and just going out and doing it, but this shows the true nature of what it takes to not only finish, but be competitive in this type of event.

Despite this positive look on the sport, “Tri” doesn’t quite provide the same motivational punch that more successful films have provided. It starts out strong enough, which in a way parallels with Natalie’s character. Sadly, I was never quite sold on how or why Natalie felt compelled to push herself to her limits. Sure, she conversed with her inner self and even visualized herself crossing the finish line victoriously, but something was lacking. It needed something to make me and everyone else watching it feel like we could also do it. When you watch a movie like “Rocky”, you feel empowered and able to overcome the odds. I don’t foresee anyone watching this and feeling inspired to strap on their running shoes, donning their swim suit, or hopping on their bicycle. Instead, it reveals joining a triathlon as an expensive, trying endeavor.

The film is not without its merits, however. Natalie’s teammates are comprised of some very interesting characters, including a former pro-wrestler as well as a former competitor whose body has refused to allow herself to reach her full potential. The initial awkwardness between this rag-tag team of athletes leads to inevitable teamwork that actually succeeds from a character standpoint. I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of filmmaking. Sure, there was some cheesy dialogue, and the acting all around was serviceable at best, but the cinematography didn’t feel like I was watching a lower-budget title.

“Tri” is worth a look, if nothing else to see the first film of its type put into action. Despite being a narrative, it acts more like a documentary by informing its audience of the ins-and-outs of being involved in triathlon training, but even gets some of it wrong. Just don’t expect to come away with a burning desire to follow in Natalie’s footsteps by any means. You’d probably, like me, be more motivated to fire up “Rocky IV” instead.