Movie Review: Gran Turismo

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A really effective feel-good movie, even if it is very familiar. 

This film is based off of a true story about a young man who dreamed of racing cars and one day got the chance too after winning a contest that put the best players of the Gran Turismo video game (or racing simulator) against each other to compete in professional racing. What makes this movie work is that two of the characters work so well. The young driver (Archie Madekwe) is very likable. Not only does the actor bring a real likability to the character, but this film ensures that we are on the character's side. This is because through this character the film takes a look at a very basic human fear that we all know. This is the fear of being proven wrong. Because we relate to this feeling so instinctively it is hard for us not to feel for this character. The film also does a wonderful job of getting us into the head of the character during the racing scenes. The fact that we visually see much of what is happening in real life like a video game tells us how he is applying what he learned in the game and using that to move forward in a way that is very cinematic. The other character who makes us care about what is happening is his trainer (David Harbour). At first he has little faith in this contest and the idea of a someone who plays a video game becoming a real race car driver. Yet as he gets to know our young hero, he begins to change his mind very much. This is a type of character who may have been done before but works so well you may not care. One reason this character works is that his transition and his belief in the kid, feel completely real and completely justified. However the main reason this character is so appealing is that he is played by David Harbour.  David Harbour is an actor who is always wonderful in any movie he is in and this one is no exception. He brings a really heart and humanity to this character, while also not hiding what makes the character rough around the edges. Even in early scenes when he is yelling at the racers and telling them that they can't make it, he is still completely likable, because of this performance. Before I heard of this film, I was not familiar with this true story at all (therefore I can't tell you how true it is to the true story). Yet I can easily see why it appealed to the filmmakers. It is just the type of underdog story that has been appealing to movie fans for a long time. There is a reason for this appeal, and it is easy to see why watching this movie. This is a feel-good movie that makes you feel good and that is exactly what you want from a film like this. Yet it is also not afraid to occasionally go into darker more serious territory and it does this surprisingly well. 

I will admit about the story though, that it can feel much too familiar at times. If you have ever seen this type of movie before, you can see pretty much every single plot point coming from a mile away. This can take away any feeling of real suspense in many of the racing scenes. The romantic subplot is also incredibly underdeveloped and not really that interesting. In fact his romantic interest often feel more like a story point than an actual character and we never know who she is outside of being his love interest. Even as a story point though, she doesn't really move the story forward at all. In fact her entire presence just really feels like padding. 

This film may be flawed, but it is also a feel-good movie that makes you really feel good. Therefore even with its flaws, I found it very easy to have a good time watching it.