Fast Girls [REVIEW]

In the new film Fast Girls, 22-year-old Shania Andrews is a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Her mother is dead, and her father walked out on her and her sister when they were little. They live with their aunt and her children in a small, crowded council flat. Shania, however, is blessed with a special talent, the talent to run very fast.

When Shania (played by the amazing Lenora Crichlow) beats Lisa (a beautiful blond golden girl) in a race and is asked to join the national team, she can't believe that her dream to be a top-class athlete is almost being realised, though there are unforeseen bumps in the road. One of them is her sister and aunt, who are oblivious to Shania's talent, and engrossed in their own lives.

Lisa, who is also on the national team, turns out to be competitive on and off the track. Lisa, still upset by having been beaten by Shania, gives her the cold shoulder, and doesn't help Shania to integrate into the relay team for the upcoming World Championships. Lisa is also being pressured by her father, a former Olympic champion, to win at any costs, even if this means getting Shania kicked off the team.

Shania is asked to join the relay team at an important meet in Barcelona, badly hungover from a party she and her sister had in their aunt's flat the night before. Shania fails miserably on the baton handover in the relay, and in frustration, quits the team. To make matters worse, she and her sister get thrown out of their aunt's flat because of the party. WIth nowhere else to go, Shania ends up sleeping on a cot in her old coaches shed. He talks her into going back to the team, and to train and focus on what she is best at - running. From this point on, Shania has the drive, the determination, the willpower, and most importantly, the confidence to do the best for herself and for the team.

Fast Girls could not have been more timely. With the Olympics taking place in a few weeks, this movie, the story of a team hoping to win a gold medal, rings true with the UK's hopes of winning medals at the Olympics. While the movie has an ending that is fairly predictable, it is the way this story is told that will win you over. And Crichlow is amazing. She trained for a hard seven weeks prior to filming, doing 1,000 sit-ups six days a week, and she has the body of an athlete. As Lisa, Lily James is almost as good. With her slender, athletic body, she displays the determination she has in wanting to beat Shania, as well as in trying to please her father. Other stand-out performances include the rest of the teammates: Lashana Lynch as the feisty Belle, Lorriane Burroughs as the seasoned athlete, Trix, whose injury opens a door for Shania, Phil Davis as Shania's original coach, who does not want to lose her and supports her through it all, and Bradley James as the handsome team physical therapist Carl. (Is he a player or not?)

Fast Girls has an excellent soundtrack, the best I have heard in years, with music by Emilie Sande, Labrinth, and Mat Cardle. With energy, fun, excitement, suspense, and thrills, it's a must-see movie this summer. And when it is over, you will be more excited about the Olympics then ever before.