Movie Review

Gran Turismo overcomes video game trappings with fun and thrills

Over the last 30 years or so, there have been many attempts to adapt video games into movies, with the vast majority of them failing. The success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie bucked that trend, and now comes Gran Turismo, based on the popular race car simulator and inspired by a competition in which gamers were given an opportunity to become real-life racers.

Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) is a young man living at home who spends most of his free time playing Gran Turismo, much to the chagrin of dad, Steve (Djimon Hounsou), and mom, Lesley (Geri Horner). At the same time, Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) convinces the top brass at the car company that offering top Gran Turismo players a chance to drive real race cars would be good for the brand.

Moore recruits Jack Salter (David Harbour), a longtime racing mechanic, to serve as a mentor for the gamers. Salter puts Jann and a group of international recruits through the paces, gradually winnowing them down to the one who’ll actually get to compete in a live race (one guess as to who that is). The transition from playing at home and driving on a track is a steep one, with more than a few surprises along the way.

Directed with aplomb by Neill Blomkamp and written by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin, the film is a combination of every sports movie cliché known to man and Top Gun, including elements like a father who doesn’t believe in his son's dreams, a washed-up mentor, a rival-turned-friend, a traumatic event, and more. After a bumpy start, the story evens out, making those tropes more acceptable the more you get to know the characters.

More than any recent movie about a product/business (yes, even Barbie), the movie really seems to be trying to sell viewers on how great the game is. The number of times one character or another touts Gran Turismo as the pinnacle of racing simulators in just the first half hour borders on ridiculous. The high level of commercialization is part and parcel with the story, so viewers will have to accept it at face value if they want to enjoy the movie at all.

A big plus for the film turns out to be the dedication to filming actual racing in real locations. Although there had to have been a good amount of CGI in the film, it is blended seamlessly with the authentic footage. With cameras mounted right on the cars, it makes for a you-are-there experience with some truly thrilling scenes, most notably a spectacular crash.

Madekwe has a decent number of credits to his name, but this appears to be his first starring role, and he puts in a solid performance. Both Hounsou and Harbour make for good father figures, giving the film an emotional heft, along with Horner, whose acting completely obscures the fact that in a previous life she was Ginger Spice. Bloom dials it up a bit too much in certain scenes, but he doesn’t ruin the movie.

There’s no getting around the fact that the sole reason Gran Turismo exists is to try to convince viewers how cool the game is, but as a sports movie, it follows the formula to a tee for maximum satisfaction. With the added excitement of being in/on cars while they’re speeding down the track, it overcomes its video game trappings for a legitimately fun time.

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Gran Turismo opens in theaters on August 25.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Archie Madekwe in Gran Turismo.

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Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer is an unappreciated mom in Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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