8 Seconds (1994)

Directed by John G. Avildsen. Starring Luke Perry, Cynthia Geary, Stephen Baldwin, James Rebhorn, Red Mitchell, Linden Ashby, Carrie Snodgress, Ronnie Claire Edwards. [PG-13]

Story of real-life rodeo star Lane Frost (Perry) gets the formula treatment from the director of Rocky and The Karate Kid, but, if you’ll forgive my bias, bull riding isn’t as compelling to watch as boxing or competitive martial arts, whether in real life or as a dramatization. The sport also isn’t explored in great detail, and since (as the title suggests) riders don’t last long on the bull, the handful of rodeo sequences don’t take up much time, leaving lots of room for a predictable father-son relationship (where the young’un does whatever he can to measure up to impossible demands) and a sweet but bland romance/marriage between Frost and a barrel-racer named Kellie (Geary). It plods along, adequate but uninteresting, before rushing through a pretty darn important dramatic moment near the end—some things should take longer than eight seconds (give or take) to register before moving on to the denouement. Renée Zellweger has a small role.

49/100