Inspirational ‘Flying Scotsman’ races across the finish line

Three out of four stars (Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic elements and strong language) Running time: 103 minutes.

Most Saturday mornings I see a collection of cyclists in their skintight outfits peddling their little fannies off on College Park Drive, destination who knows where. It looks like a lot of fun, but I’ll stick to my daily walks, thank you.

Except for the Tour de France in July, I know so little about the sport of cycling. While the French race that made Lance Armstrong an international household name is an outdoor event, there is also a competition in Europe where a cyclist zips around an indoor track for roughly 32 miles in one hour in order to beat the World Hour Record.

Indoors cycling is about as exciting as watching bowling on TV, or worse, guys that play hands of poker. But it serves as the basis of “The Flying Scotsman,” which opened on Friday in a limited theatrical release. The evening show that my wife and I went to was sparsely attended as the crowds were queuing up outside to see “Spider-Man 3.” While most everyone had to see Peter Parker garbed in black, I’m sorry to report that they missed a real gem of an inspirational sports movie in the smaller theater.

Directed by Douglas Mackinnon, the movie is based on the true story of Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree, who dealt with a bevy of obstacles, mostly himself, to become the world champion in 1993 and 1995. He is played in the movie by Jonny Lee Miller, recognizable to foreign film fans as Sick Boy in the cult classic “Trainspotting.”

Graeme suffers from clinical depression, a condition that is dealt with only tangentially in the film. During several scenes he sits there in a funk, staring straight ahead with funny noises going on in the background. At one point he attempts suicide, but overall I found this to be the least satisfying part of the film. He tells his friend, “I really get down sometimes. There’s nothing really wrong with me, you know.” He’s deluding himself, I’m afraid, and the audience, too.

As a youth growing up in Glasgow, Graeme is bullied by a gang of four toughs who delight in urinating on him for sport. This is apparently the root cause of his depression, but Graeme’s story online blames his illness on the loss of his only brother.

Like the scene of Forrest Gump running from his tormentors and the knee braces snapping off, Graeme enjoys his moment of freedom by riding his 10-speed bicycle—a Christmas present from his understanding parents—away from the bullies and into his adult life.

It is there that he operates a less-than-successful bicycle shop in a small Scottish village. His wife Anne (Laura Fraser) appears to be carrying the burdens of running the family while Graeme pursues his quixotic dream of besting the World Hour Record, which he does twice in Norway.

With the help of his best friend and manager Malky (Billy Boyd) and a supportive local clergyman (Brian Cox), Graeme has crafted a homemade bicycle named “Old Faithful” with spare parts that have been liberated from a junkyard and his wife’s washing machine (don’t ask). He has developed a riding style that enhances his aerodynamic performance and no doubt resulted in brisk business for chiropractors around the globe.

Graeme travels to events in France, Italy, and Colombia. Meanwhile the bigwigs of the World Cycling Federation, the governing board that exists for no useful purpose other than to invent new rules to thwart the upstart Scot, dogs him at every stop.

In the tradition of “Chariots of Fire” and “Breaking Away,” the audience will cheer our hero on. I really enjoyed this movie.

Gary Brown is co-host of the Montgomery College Film Series. For information call (936) 273-7324 or email garyb@nhmccd.edu.