Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story

1996 1h 27m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 5

DramaTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Story about a runner whose bulimia and anorexia threatens both her dream of competing in the Olympics and her marriage to Denver's mayor.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Crystal Bernard
Ellen Hart Pena
Esai Morales
Federico Pena
Casey Sander
Dave Shattuck
Tom Atkins
Henry Hart
Amy Reece
Chris Hart
Shirley Knight
Joan Hart
Sheila Ivy Traister
Terry
Liz Jury
Dean

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jan Egleson
Writers: Susan Arnout Smith
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jan Egleson, shot by James L. Carter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Terry Blythe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Crystal Bernard and Esai Morales and Casey Sander carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0119030 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jan Egleson directs. James L. Carter behind the camera. Terry Blythe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jan Egleson, shot by James L. Carter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Terry Blythe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Crystal Bernard and Esai Morales and Casey Sander carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0119030 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.