See Arnold Run (2005) Reviews

• Nice try, but not good enough

  rdoronr2005-01-31

  The actors portraying both young and current Arnold have some facial similarity to him. Roland Kickinger ("young Arnold") also has the right body for the job, but here the similarities end: Jürgen Prochnow ("old Arnold") is too old for this casting, has no bodily resemblance to a bodybuilder, looks too short and his acting is too gloomy. There are also other things in the movie that have very bad fit with reality. "Old Arnold" is dominated by his wife, lacks all shred of leadership (as opposed to the real charismatic Arnold). "Young Arnold" is a loner, desperately trying to succeed, while the truth was that Arnold enjoyed hilarious success even before he set foot on American soil, and was actually brought over by a strong sponsor (Weider). I wondered whether the director saw "Pumping Iron", because he missed the real atmosphere around young Arnold, as well as some aspects of his personality. Not all is bad, but having followed Arnold since 1970 - I was disappointed. I hope a better re-make will be done some time into the future. Even a mix-up of the original Pumping Iron + actual clips from the real campaign would have made a better result. Not recommended (5/10).

• Poorly made film and an even worse lead character

  pdoyle-22005-01-31

  The younger Arnold bore an uncanny resemblance to the real thing. Looks like he can act as well. However even he could not copy Arnolds very odd accent. Jurgen Procknow was too old, too small and his attempt at the accent totally pathetic. He delivered his lines in a Churchillian style, totally different from the real thing. As Maria Shriver, Hemmingway was good but a bit overweight. The best performance by far was Arianna Huffington, beautifully portrayed. All in all a disappointment because of the flashbacks, far too many. Less and longer would have been better because Arnold's real character is still somewhat of a mystery.

• Excellent bio

  mm-392005-01-31

  I do not know how true this film is, especially with the time constraints of the movie, but I learned much about Arnold for myself. Confidence and drive is important and essential in order to survive in life's journey and Arnold knows this. The viewer learns that Arnold is brash and positive, and would be hated by negative people everywhere; negative people would find Arnold arrogant, while more mentally healthy individuals would find Arnold's positive attitude contagious. Arnold's visualization and attitude, is no sales act in order to use people, but the natural personality of a driven man. The movie addresses the harshness of Arnold's childhood, and his need of acceptance. (A Freud theory in this movie) Many Dads want their sons to have a toughness and hunger, but balanced with love. A theme throughout this film. I, myself may be seen as cocky, and mistaken as a jerk without a softer side; I believe the director shows a softer side to Arnold that only people who really know the man could tell. I would have to look into Arnold's eyes too really know the man. Compassion is not a event to boast about but a more private side. I learned about Arnold from this film and found this film to be a comedy/ auto bio, which I think is how Arnold is. 8 or 10 out of 10. Great TV movie. A & E sure can make better TV movies than the networks. I would not be surprised if a network makes a whole movie about Arnold's life from childhood on. I wonder if Arnold would write an auto bio?

• Missing one-third of the story

  Moonlit_Knight2005-02-08

  This was a good biopic interweaving Arnold's the two story lines concerning his victory as Mister Universe and his election as Govenor of California. Through any adversity, Arnold has shown that a positive attitude and a drive to succeed can coexist and allow any person to achieve their goals. That being said, there was one storyline missing from this movie -- his drive to become a Hollywood star. I would have loved a two-part mini-series that included his Hollywood years. It is remarkable that this man decided to achieve greatness in three endeavors in his life: 1. become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, 2. become the biggest Hollywood star, and 3. become a great and beloved politician. He succeeded in all three where most people would be satisfied to have achieved just one. The actor who played the Mr.Universe Arnold can quite possibly take over roles Arnold originated on screen. He's already aped the Arnold personae as Chip Rommel in "Son Of The Beach". He pulled off a serious Arnold in this movie. I've read that Terminator 4 will take place further into the future. So, he could definitely play an original T-100. Also, there are talks about reviving the Conan series. Who better to play a young Conan?

• I saw See Arnold Run

  quebecgirl10272005-01-31

  Last night i actually sat down and watched See Arnold Run. Surprisingly i actually did enjoy the movie. I've always been an Arnold fan ever since i first saw Terminator but never really knew much about him until this movie. Being from Canada, i was vaguely aware that he was running for Governor of California but did not follow the race never believing that they would elect an actor to represent them. Imagine my shock when he won, but watching this movie i learned that politics has always been a big part of his life. I thought this movie was an interesting look at all the work that goes into being Governor. The actor who plays him, Jürgen Prochnow was not bad. I don't think he looked much like him, but then again it's tough to find a man Arnold's age who looks as fantastic as he does! The actor who played him as a bodybuilder, Roland Kickinger bore a striking resemblance to Arnold, both in body and voice. I was actually half convinced at some points that it was him or a family member of his even though i knew it wasn't. Quite honestly i thought that this movie was interesting and a good watch for anyone who is interested in Arnold or in politics. I plan to follow his tenure as Governor to see if he is more then just an actor. Maybe someday they will change the law that states that you have to be born in America to be President and Arnold will run for President. That would make an interesting movie none the less, just hopefully they hold on the stupid one liners this time around!