Running with Beto

"You already know how it’s gonna end." And yet, Modigliani’s film doesn’t reflect a defeat. ... If it’s an optimistic beginning you’re after, Running With Beto makes for a fine start.

This sort of agitprop victory lap has its limitations, and Modigliani’s proficient fly-on-the-wall approach lacks the edge of the greatest campaign documentaries, but much of the movie’s gentler qualities reflect the tenor of O’Rourke’s upbeat campaign itself. Viewed on its own terms, Running With Beto consolidates the feel-good trajectory of O’Rourke’s run into an engaging package that showcases his galvanizing impact up close.

It often has the feel of an infomercial whose miracle product is a lanky resident of El Paso. This, too, is unsurprising. What is striking, though, is the low-stakes nature of the miracle.

Running With Beto captures how much enthusiasm has been generated by those frustrated by both President Trump and Republican decision-making at various levels of government. Yet it also reflects how difficult it remains, especially in battleground states, to sway people whose thinking on various issues has been hardened into cement.

This is where the film falters; it’s superficial in moments where a deeper dive would be more beneficial, like after O’Rourke’s speech following the Santa Fe shooting, where he appears emotional or a scene of him watching clips of his father. The best moments of the film confront the reality of the Red Wall and the effect of the race on Beto and the people around him as he’s separated from his family.