How sad is this?

The acting in this movie is really good.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

OK, I know that the book is different, and some events and facts have been changed, but the writing, production, directing and (most of all) the acting are just so good.This is not Graeme and Anne Obree, these are actors, but they capture and display every emotion, every look so superbly. I am so impressed by the crowd in the bar scenes, it is almost like being there. I know what is going to happen, but I still get totally involved, just like the friends who are cheering for Graeme, and I am too. I'm not sure why the bike "old faithful" isn't shown as Graeme built it? There is some sadness too for us to contemplate as to how we might cope, or not.The basic story is well known, to cyclists, but anyone else can learn so much, about these great people, about utterly stupid "officials" and officialdom, all shown here. Surely, the only definition needed for a bicycle is "It's got two wheels, and is powered only by the rider". There is a line where an official is upset because "... he's making us look like fools..." No, the officials are doing it all by themselves.

Genuinely loved the movie, and I'll let those who know more about Graeme and cycling comment on those aspects.Understand that Jonny Lee Miller is well regarded in Scotland for a really good Scots accent. But on the other side of the pond, us 'muricans catch only every third or fourth word. Strongly suggest you turn on the closed captioning right from the beginning and save yourself a lot of frustration and wear on your DVD player. Otherwise you'll be backing up a lot for "what'd he say?" You can always turn captioning off when you watch the second time. And you will want to see it again. It's that good.

The story of Graeme Obree, an essentially amateur cyclist who competed with the best, is quite remarkable, but that's not to say it makes for a great film. The narrative arc of this movie is dreadfully predictable, and attempts to make play from Obree's struggles with depression are limited by the cartoonish way in which the officials with whom he was often in conflict are depicted. Perhaps the real problem is that Obree is the sort of hero who fits the Scottish self-image too well, the plucky underdog (celebrated in the unimaginative title of this movie) is just too comfortable a figure (in terms of how he fits with how the Scots would like to see themselves); there's no 'Trainspotting'-style iconoclasm here. Maybe it would have been better to make a documentary; the details of how Obree fashioned a competitive bike with his own hands (and to his own, revolutionary design) are fascinating - but not the stuff the fiction, and told as a drama, the result is a little dull.

I'm just home from enjoying one of the most exciting cinema experiences of my 51 years. As a recreational cyclist, and having trained hard and at least attempted racing, I knew that I would enjoy a film which focused on the life of a real athlete - rather than a fictional styling (Breaking Away) or one race (Hell On Wheels).With 50% Scot blood in my veins I felt at home with the voices and scenery, but I found myself quickly intensely involved with the characters and swept away by the quality of the cinematography and the stunning surround sound. I've pre-ordered the DVD - but this is the very definition of big screen cinema entertainment.In the late night screening I was lucky to have a whole row to myself - so no one witnessed my emotional gasps, or the times during the races when I was literally shaking with excitement.I loved the way that Graeme's struggle with manic depression is given respectful depth - especially since his illness was an integral part of what drove him obsessively to achieve. Too few films deal effectively with the stress and reality of being bipolar. We need to see that he is loved, respected and supported as living with a mental illness, but also that he can accept polite active intervention.This is a remarkable story - extremely well told. Full praise to all of the cast - especially Jonny Lee Miller, who looks and lives the part and to Brian Cox, one of Britain's greatest dramatic actors (see "The Lost Language Of Cranes").We're told by other reviewers that the film is a more than adequate precis of Graeme's story, so I'm very much looking forward to reading his book.