The Art of Racing in the Rain movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Art of Racing in the Rain

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour, 49 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

A loveable dog and Milo Ventimiglia. Now THAT’S a winning formula for a tearjerker movie, right? If you’re a fan of This Is Us: Season 1, you’ve probably been anticipating this movie, like I have, and are prepared to go to the theater with tissues to wipe your inevitable tears. Good plan.

Based on the book The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel By Garth Stein, the movie is directed by Simon Curtis and isn’t so much a dog movie or a racing movie, but an insightful look at life’s journey, self-discovery, and the relationships we build.

The movie is extremely contrived and manipulative, yet dog lovers won’t care. Critics see the flaws, but audiences see the heartfelt messages. A movie about a dog is sure-fire box office crowd-pleaser that sells tickets. My heart broke in the very first scene. Our family dog of 14 years passed away just a few months ago and I sobbed for days. Yep, I cried in this movie.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

The dog talks about a girl’s “plump buttocks” and then the camera zooms in on a girl’s rear end.
Pre-marital “relations”
A woman screams while giving birth (but you don’t see anything)
Some scenes with a dog relieving himself in various ways.
Someone dies.
A custody battle that young kids probably won’t understand.

THEMES:

Don’t quit
The techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to navigate through life.
Balance, anticipation
I love the metaphor of rain being an unpredictable element in racing and how we all have rain/unpredictable elements in life that we have to deal with.
Focus on the present, not dwelling on the past, never forgetting the future
“The great driver will drive through the problem. The great driver finds a way to keep racing.” – Enzo (Kevin Costner)
“You have to take a risk if you want to win.” – Denny
“A true champion can accomplish things that the normal person would consider impossible.” – Enzo
“Death is not the end.” – Enzo

THINGS I LIKED:

I loved the sweet voice of the golden retriever named after a Ferrari, voiced by Kevin Costner.
The movie tells us that in Mongolia, they believe that, after a dog has lived 5 reincarnated lives, it will come back as a human. What an interesting idea.
I think Amanda Seyfried is so lovely and talented. I’m always happy to see her in movies, although I wish they could have figured out a song she could have sung. It seemed like such a talent to waste.
Professional racers Justin Marks and Tanner Foust did all of the on-track scenes as Milo’s character was supposed to be driving. Blue screens were used with Milo in the Turner Motorsports M4 GT4 scenes.
The dancing zebra scene was funny, totally random, and an entertaining side gag that ran through the movie.
The dog explains that we’re here on earth to learn certain lessons and once we do, we can move on. I believe that too. Do you?

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

- A movie about a dog is sure-fire box office melodrama that sells tickets.
- I thought Eve picked a strange time and place to announce she was pregnant. If you’re pregnant and want a WAY cooler way to announce your big news to friends and family, check out my fun book Baby Announcement Ideas and Gender Reveals: 200 Creative Ways to Share Your Great News

More humor would have been nice to balance the ever-present sorrow of an illness in the family.

FUNNY LINES:

“The place belonged to Eve’s parents, Trish and Maxwell, who, I confess, I first mistook for twins.” – Enzo
“It must be amazing to have a body that can carry an entire creature inside. I mean other than a tapeworm, which I’ve had.” – Enzo
“Something about the zebra put me ill at ease.” – Enzo

INTERESTING LINES:

“No race was ever won in the first corner, but many have been lost there.” – Enzo quotes Denny
“There’s no dishonor in losing a race. There’s only dishonor in not racing because you’re afraid you’re going to lose.” – Don Kitch (Gary Cole)

OTHER DOG MOVIES THAT CAME OUT THIS YEAR (2019) YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

A Dog’s Way Home