The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)
- Corey Bulloch
- Aug 10, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2019
★★★
Through his bond with his owner, aspiring Formula One race car driver Denny, golden retriever Enzo learns that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate the journey of life.
Classification: PG
Sentimental and emotionally manipulative from the outset, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a film almost explicitly designed to tug at every heartstring in its audience through its use of family melodrama told through the life of an adorable golden retriever, Enzo. Kevin Costner as the voice of Enzo initially may seem to just be going through the motions, reading through the dialogue with little concern. As his story develops, however, Costner's gruff narration becomes a calming presence during the film's more distressing emotional moments and allows for moments of comedy with Enzo's misunderstandings of human culture. The screenplay which itself is based off the novel of the same name from 2008 does divulge into typical tropes of its genre, almost coming off like a high-quality soap opera and while that can cause some of the realism to dwindle the emotion from the performers keeps the audience invested in the character's journeys.
Through the runtime, the pieces that keep The Art of Racing in the Rain engaging are these characters and the performances that bring them to life. The racing element to Denny Swift's character gives the film some interesting vistas and allows the typical clichés of the family conflicts to be slightly more compelling mostly because we get see race cars. Enzo and Denny's racing metaphor life lessons are sprinkled through Costner's narration showing Denny's instincts in driving influence his decision making concerning his family. Racing and Denny's dream remains as a source of conflict throughout the narrative but becomes sidelined considering the subject matter that takes hold of the latter part of the narrative. At points director, Simon Curtis does well to find a balance between the more heightened melodrama and the excitement of the racetrack but for the most part, the latter does feel like the odd one out. It all ebbs and flows but remains mostly enjoyable even when the dialogue or story beats can get overzealous with the sentimentality.
Keeping the melodrama of the plot somewhat grounded are the actors themselves especially in the performance of Milo Ventimiglia as Denny. While Seyfried and the rest of the supporting cast theatricalize elements of their performance at times because of the scripts more heightened dramatics, Ventimiglia never veers away from keeping Denny as a sympathetic, struggling yet authentic character. Even though they are never on screen together or converse in any manner, Ventimiglia and Costner's performances have fine chemistry, the friendship and loyalty between their two characters are instantly believable and as the main emotional through-line of the film create fine moments of comedy and emotional drama. The canine performers portraying Enzo should also be commended not only for being adorable especially in the case of puppy Enzo who will make audience coo and immediately wanting to visit their local pet store but for also being able to somewhat accurately emote what Costner is narrating. A lot of the film is from his point of view with key plot details being revealed from his perspective and his reactions driving pieces of narrative forward, without a dog that could create an emotional bond with its audience the entire film would fall apart. Curtis's direction, fortunately, merges the physical and vocal performance so that Enzo's character draws the audience further into the story.
Similar in the vein of films such as Marley and Me or My Dog Skip, The Art of Racing in the Rain uses predictable dramatic revelations to create emotional tearjerker moments. Playing into the audience's empathy not only for adorable dogs but through soap opera-esque plot lines of custody battles, medical crises, and family drama. Nothing about the plot is wholly original, with most if not all of the storylines easily being predictable which does undercut some of the emotional payoff intended. It's also predictable because the melodramatic elements of the plot don't utilise the two special elements of the film in any unique way; Enzo and the race cars. This is where Curtis's direction falters as The Art of Racing in the Rain begins to mellow in mediocrity and it's only really Ventimiglia and Costner that keep the film remotely interesting.
It's predictable and emotional but even with its lack of surprises or originality, The Art of Racing in the Rain is still an enjoyable story in main part due to its performances and the earnest nature of its messaging. While it may seem cynical to call many of its plot points "emotionally manipulative" it is correct, but the melodrama does a have a foundation in a sweet story of family. Family that is not only between a parent and a child but between a man and a dog and how the passions we have in life influence us in many different ways. Its a strange little story of a narrating dog, a family, and a love of race cars but even with its lack of innovation, Enzo's journey is still an enjoyable one for an audience ready to laugh and cry.
Director: #SimonCurtis
Release Date: August 9th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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