The Flying ScotsmanMovie Reviews

Poster art for "The Flying Scotsman."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 49 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    Boasts exciting competitive track cycling footage. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    How many bicycling movies are there, let alone ones that know from frame geometry? "Breaking Away" is probably the champ, followed by "American Flyers," the hilariously awful Kevin Bacon bike-messenger movie "Quicksilver," and then we're already into "The Bicycle Thief " and "Pee-wee's Big Adventure." It's a small pack, and The Flying Scotsman rides close to the front by default. Read full review

  • 60
    Washington Post |

    Miller is key to the film's success, with his earnest, sweet-faced looks and evident dark side. He plays Obree with just the right understated intensity, a believable competitor who fights back fiercely with his wits and a few tight-lipped words. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    The filmmaking is unremarkable, but the obsessiveness of the lead character is infectious enough to make this drama passable entertainment. Read full review

  • 50
    The Onion A.V. Club | Keith Phipps

    There's real triumph to Obree's story, and real adversity, too, but the film contents itself with the pretend versions of both. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Eddie Cockrell

    Helmer Douglas Mackinnon does what he can to make the most of emotional bullet points and gloss over the lack of connective tissue. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    A conventional underdog sports movie that should have been much more gripping. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times |

    Scotsman not only lacks vision, a true sense of how to mesh Obree's sporting triumphs and personal setbacks, but it also lacks passion. What it needs, as strange and tacky as it may sound, is a bit more madness. Read full review

  • 38
    New York Daily News | Jack Mathews

    For a much better film about a similar story, rent "The World's Fastest Indian," with Anthony Hopkins on a motorcycle. Read full review

  • 30
    L.A. Weekly | Scott Foundas

    It has a terminal case of the cutes crossed with the labored earnestness of a disease-of-the-week melodrama. Read full review

View more reviews for The Flying Scotsman on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Cycling drama doesn't quite race to the finish.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this based-on-a-true story sports movie aspires to be inspirational, which works half the time. But it also brings up questions about depression and madness, including an onscreen suicide attempt, which may not be answered by the film itself -- and may be tricky for teens to put into context. Other than that, the content is pretty mild.
  • Families can talk about how the media creates a hero. What did Obree have to live up to in terms of his fame? How does this portrayal compare to what you've seen in other sports movies? Does it sometimes seem like all famous sports figures have to overcome adversity? Does what happens in their personal life matter, or should significance be placed solely on what they achieve in their field?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The main character makes a valiant effort to stay noble in the face of unfair judging during a race. He also clearly demonstrates that he's not a quitter. There are some dark moments when he's lost in the fog of depression and bullying by classmates when he's younger.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Obree is bullied as a child (kicked, shoved, and worse) and meets up with the same mean crowd later, at which point he reacts with rage. He also tries to kill himself by hanging. (A father and a child find him.) Some shouting between Obree and his manager.
  • sex false0 Sex: Some kissing between couples, but no more than that (sex is only hinted at).
  • language false0 Language: Mild. Some use of "damn."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Bicycle paraphernalia, including wheels by Specialized.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking in pubs and at post-race celebrations (champagne popping).
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

3.0

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The Flying Scotsman Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 147 fan reviews

Critics say

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