Finish Line 1989

Josh Brolin as Glenn Shrevelow and Kristoff St. John as Tito Landreau are childhood friends who share a deep love of running, and their talent earns them scholarships to a prestigious university. Their new coach, Stephen Lang as Coach Harkins, insists they are among the fastest in the country and fuels visions of Olympic glory that feel within reach. At the same time, Glenn faces intense pressure from both his coach and his father, James Brolin as Martin Shrevelow, a former runner who pushes him to commit fully and excel beyond doubt.

When a race goes badly and threatens Glenn’s scholarship, desperation nudges him toward a dangerous shortcut. A teammate’s claim that steroids could boost his performance—and perhaps prove the naysayers wrong—pulls him into a risky path that he believes is the only way to stay on top. It is during this turbulent period that Glenn crosses paths with Mariska Hargitay as Lisa Karsh, a student reporter investigating athletes and drugs, and the two begin to develop a complicated, intimate connection that offers him a glimmer of humanity amid mounting pressure.

Glenn’s involvement with the drugs grows darker as he moves from pills to injections, each dose steering him further from the clean line he once stood on. His father erupts with anger and confusion upon learning the truth, while Glenn maintains that the drugs are essential to his success. The situation spirals as the toll of the substances becomes painfully clear, culminating in a grueling race that ends with a devastating heart attack. The doctors warn of massive heart damage and a possible coronary bypass, and the family faces a moment of reckoning with the costs of ambition.

The emotional weight of the story settles in the aftermath. Glenn’s father, torn between pride and guilt, pleads for forgiveness as the family confronts what has been lost. In the final, heartrending scene, Tito wins an Olympic race on television, a moment celebrated and dedicated to Glenn, who has died. The closing image lingers on the father’s tears and the memory of a life shortened by pressure, performance, and a dream pushed too far, leaving a quiet, poignant reflection on the cost of chasing greatness.