CIFF23: Matthew Modine Pedals for ‘Hard Miles’ at 59th CIFF

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CHICAGO – The stature and talent of actor Matthew Modine has loomed large for nearly two generations. He began his career in his early twenties, and continues to make an impact as he takes on new roles … for instance, that of a social worker in “Hard Miles,” which screened at the 59th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF).

Matthew Modine at the 59th CIFF on October 21, 2023
Photo credit: Joe Arce for HollywoodChicago.com

Greg (Modine) is a beleaguered social worker at a Colorado juvenile correctional center with a passion for bicycle racing and a revelatory idea for rehabilitation …rounding up an unlikely crew of incarcerated students to complete a transformative 1000-mile ride from Denver to the Grand Canyon. To achieve their goal, this determined coach and his disgruntled teenage squad will battle heat stroke, speed wobbles, mountainous inclines, and most of all each other to come together as a unified team.

Matthew Modine was born in California, and after high school made his film debut in “Baby, It’s You” (1983). In the next ten years the prolific actor made 18 films, including several classics, including “Birdy,” “Married to the Mob,” “Memphis Belle,” “Short Cuts” and his signature role as Private Joker in “Full Metal Jacket.” He has continued to make a cultural impact even recently, appearing in “Oppenheimer” this summer and of course as Dr. Martin Brenner in “Stranger Things.”

He is also a filmmaker, starting out in the short format in 1993 with “When I Was a Boy” and expanding to a feature in with “If… Dog… Rabbit…” (1999). The weekend of his CIFF appearance his experimental film “I Am What You Imagine” was screening at the Psychedelic Film & Music Festival in New York City. And in the context of his new film, he’s also a bicycling advocate.

Matthew Modine for ‘Hard Miles’
Photo credit: Joe Arce for HollywoodChicago.com

In an excerpt from a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Matthew Modine talks about working with the young actors in the film, and confronting the past through his character and life …

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Critic/Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com