While EA produces a film adaptation of a racing video game, I go back to Dreamworks answer to Cars. It was... okay.
Theo is a simple garden snail who daydreams of a life of racing, motor racing that is. He has a racing driver for an idol, and his fellow snails laugh at him for his oddness. But one day he is sucked into a street racing car's nitrous oxide fuel and gains super speed. With a team of friends he works his way to compete in the Indy 500 race circuit.
Now... a lot of this film's success lies on how far you reject the absurd concept! I gotta say, it is ridiculous and I can't say I fell in love with the character or the supporting characters; they mostly fall into street racing stereotypes (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson and Snoop Dogg, for example) and Turbo's morality tale feels a little too carefree and inconsequential. Super powers solve your problems!
This is comparable with Pixar's Cars, where flashy oddball McQueen must learn humility and appreciate others. Turbo on the other hand is about his success and taking it all the way. While it is about a little man making it big, it is a little too convenient and centralised around his story.
Visually it is fun, Theo's transformation into a super snail is entertaining with his eyes turning into headlights... a gimmick that wasn't used again, but it was funny.
This is certainly one of Dreamworks more shallow experiences, which makes it quite forgettable, but it is fun at the very least. Also makes it a little hard to write about.
A good little comedic drama staring Paul Giamatti doing what he does best.
Mike Flaherty is a man struggling with multiple commitments; he works as a lawyer, runs a young people's wrestling team and has a family to care for. With his finances stretched thin, his questionable solutions are called into question when a wrestling prodigy stays with him to escape his own family problems.
Win Win's three act narrative is quite apparent, and I will admit it took a little time for me to warm into it at first. This is deliberate, as we see Mike's life is troubled and his decisions are debatable and ambiguous... the first act blatantly sets up more to come, only to be temporarily side-lined by an excellent second act when the character of Kyle is introduced. Certainly the middle-to-end acts are superb as we see the characters become overwhelmed by surprise success while the consequences of Mike's earlier choices start to emerge.
My only problem was with the ending, which felt rather sudden and a little too easy on Mike himself; the film addresses overcoming personal demons and fighting them off with courage, yet he himself has little-to-no battle. The film simply eases off the pressure.
But having said that, it is a good little film with some really nice characters who you do find quickly charming. I can't say I found any of them irritating or unrealistic, which I often do with these sorts of films! The comedy isn't forced or contrived (except maybe once early on) it is a friendly sort of humour.
Fans of Giamatti's work must apply. Anyone who wants a pleasant distraction should check it out too.
