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Movie Review: Speed Racer
'Speed Racer' best at off-track action
By John Wirt
jwirt@theadvocate.com
Advocate movie critic
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Speed Racer is more Toy Story than Days of Thunder. That could be a good thing, but in this case it isn’t. Based on the Japanese anime series created by Tatsuo Yoshida, the frantic, big-screen edition of Speed Racer is, to say the least, cartoonish.
Even as real, live actors are depicted as drivers, the film’s race cars often resemble toys hurtling over miniature tracks. Writer-director-producers Larry and Andy Wachowski, creator of The Matrix trilogy, recklessly toss any possibility of realism and genuine suspense out of the window.
Off the track, human characters exist in an unreal candy-colored world. Curiously, too, the obviously American Racer family — including John Goodman and Susan Sarandon as Pops and Mom Racer — is surrounded by Australian accents. Over-the-top performances by raging villains and crazy chronology add to the general ridiculousness.
Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) stars as Speed, the Racer family’s great hope following the fiery demise of his big brother, Rex. A natural-born champ, Speed has been obsessed with racing since childhood.
Unfortunately, his talent attracts the attention of an evil corporation, Royalton Industries. Trying to recruit Speed to his racing team, the company’s founder does his best to dazzle the Racer family, which includes spunky little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and Chim-Chim the chimpanzee.
As Royalton, formidable British thespian Roger Allam abruptly shifts his tone from welcoming kindliness to raving menace. Even so, Allam is an example of what goes right in Speed Racer.
If nothing else, the movie has a winning cast. Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon’s portrayal as the Racer family’s average suburban mom looks effortless. John Goodman may never win an Oscar, but his Pops is fiercely loyal to his family and the sport of racing — and he’s funny, too.
Emile Hirsch’s performance in last year’s Into the Wild got him much praise. He’s quite the dedicated race-car driver in Speed Racer, especially when he’s not behind the wheel during the film’s absurd racing sequences. And Christina Ricci, co-starring as Speed’s girlfriend, Trixie, is, as usual, charming.
Despite seemingly endless time devoted to racing, an old-fashioned martial arts scene in which the Racer family battles a pair of ninjas is more fun and exciting than any of the movie’s racing scenes. Again, the human element, as seen in Speed, Pops, Mom and the not-so-mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox), beats the frenzied, pointless technology that too frequently engulfs them.
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