ST. LOUIS — Penelope (Alexi Pappas) is one of those people emotionally held together with scotch tape, just trying to find the resemblance of balance while sitting on the brink of an epic collapse.
A cross country skier competing in her first Olympics-basically the top of a career mountain-Penelope seemingly has it all together, but on the inside, it's a bunch of unpacked boxes. She is on the phone with her coach when we first meet her ... in the smallest bathroom and closet known to man. In need of a pep talk, Penelope is desperate to make a friend yet too distant to bother hardly.
After competing, Penelope runs into another awkward yet ingenious soul in need of a life in the volunteer dentist, Eza (Nick Kroll). He's got different reasons to be unsettled, due to the fact his fiance is having second thoughts. Painting a fake smile and nervous laugh across his face, Ezra finds safe passage in Penelope, and she sees the same.
What happens between these two unlikely yet fortunate people should be kept for the people who hit "play" in the first place. Pappas co-wrote the film with Kroll and her husband, Jeremy Teicher, who directs the film, "Olympic Games." The trio find something special in simplistic parts here, injecting enough endearingly undressed dialogue with a couple players who know what they're doing.
When I said simplistic parts, I wasn't joking. There are a literal handful of actual cast members here, with Kroll and Pappas being the stars. The real supporting party here is the actual 2018 Olympic Games, which granted "Olympic Dreams" the first-time movie to ever receive access to film inside the village. It helps that Pappas was an Olympic athlete before she was an actress. Her sport was track, and she set Greek records in 2016. She lends the film a rugged authenticity due to her special connection to Penelope.
She's also a highly capable actress who holds her own with Kroll, a veteran actor who has experienced mostly comedic roles-yet gets to partake in something heavier here. From the very first shot to the last frame, this is Pappas' show, and she gives Penelope a lived-in mystique right away.
Kroll's untamed energy has a sly touch that lends Ezra an extra set of hands for the role. Like Penelope, there's something damaged inside him. A man incapable of being himself and chasing his own goals in life, Ezra needs a bump. Kroll subtly supplies that without overdoing it. Gus Kenworthy has a great scene with Pappas that easily resonates.
I loved the way the film showcased the Games yet didn't come off as hallmark Olympics commercial. You will feel like someone filmed an extremely personal yet visually stimulating behind the scenes special just for you. This is a genuine romantic comedy where you will be waiting and screaming for something to "happen" between the two leads, and that's the way it should be. Love isn't spelled out neatly or easy to visibly read, but it does come in unexpected doses. The film has a playful patience to it that is like olive oil to a hot pan for the 82 minute run time.
A little brother, so to speak, of "Lost in Translation," Teicher's film is a bare-boned pleasure. There's romance, comedy, the Olympics, some surprises, and a few genuine smiles. This is simply a sweet film built to please with just enough creative freedom to it.
"Olympic Dreams" won't change the way you feel about the movies, but it will warm your heart for 80 minutes while making you laugh a little. A simplistic pleasure, this is a true feel good delight for old school lovebirds and conflicted dreamers.
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