• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Legendary runner's story is compelling, tragic.

Why We Rated This for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

• Messages:

  Pre is incredibly ambitious, competitive, and determined to win. Without the physical advantages of a tall body and perfectly proportioned legs, Prefontaine works harder to cross the finish line first. He can also be cocky, egotistical, and immature at times. But overall, Pre personifies the athlete who gives his all to his sport.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  The sequence depicting the 1972 Munich Olympics covers the violence against the Israeli athletes from Pre and the American track team's point of view. The masked, gun-toting terrorists are shown from their perch on the Israeli athletes' balcony, and there is news footage explaining what happened to them. There's an accident that kills someone.
• Sex:

  Passionate kissing, making out lying down and (clothed) in bed. Pre flirts and cheats on his first girlfriend.
• Language:

  Standard swear words: "s--t," "ass," "piss," "God damn," "screw," "hell," etc.
• Consumerism:

  Very minimal, but one notable exception is that the Oregon track coach, Bill Bowerman, was the co-founder of Nike, and they show a very early pair of Nike runing sneakers. There are a few quick glimpses of magazines Pre was on, like the cover of Sports Illustrated.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Several of the scenes take place in a bar, where various college students and adults drink; a couple of parties feature beer; Pre gets drunk.

What Parents Need to Know

About Prefontaine

Families Can Talk About