Kart Racer (2003)

Pretty Good

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

You have to wonder just how much Randy Quaid hates Russel Crowe. Here's Randy Quaid pasting a career together with a few vaguely memorable moments in good movies like The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon and Midnight Express. And then making us laugh with his wackiness in Freaked, Caddyshack 2 and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. No Innerspace or Right Stuff but at least he has his brother or more importantly, his ex-wife Meg Ryan. With a little money coming in from parts Dennis' name gets him, Innerspace royalties and Meg carrying them both, the Quaid boys could drink away their days as Hollywood's poor man's Sheens, Carradines, Penns or Howards.But no.Meg Ryan had to go and make a little movie called Proof of Life and fall in lust with her bloated Australian co-star, Russel Crowe. She leaves her alcoholic husband behind, and at the epicenter of that divorce is Randy Quaid and his career. Dennis goes on to make a few disaster movies but can't really seem to get his older brother Randy, who had more early success as an actor, anything better than Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure which most definitely went straight to thrift store shelves across the country.Which is essentially where I found Kart Racer. We never really find out what happens to his wife, why he suddenly decides to support his son's interest in kart racing or how long he's had a secret kart track in his garage but we watch it to the end. He doesn't look like he's starving in the movie but he also doesn't look like he's acting past a huge guttural laugh that doesn't seem to be a part of the scene or sympathetic to his son's kart racing plight.At least he's working. Kart Racer may not be the best way to get back at at Russel Crowe but maybe two cents of that three dollars I spent on the movie will find it's way to Randy Quaid, bringing him one step closer to revenge on The Gladiator.

I don't know what's sadder, the fact that this movie exists, or the fact that people are complaining that its not realistic.Racing movies are all the same, it doesn't matter what happens in the first 80 minutes, because the hero will just pull ahead at the last minute anyways. And the way they glamourized this sport was hilarious. I mean, this is the same crap people are racing at theme parks and carnivals, and they expect us to believe that it would draw crowds like that? Hey I know, let's make a movie about how some underdog unicyclist has to reconnect with his father and then perceiver to win the Unicycle Cup. At the last second he'll put it all on the line, pull ahead, and win it all.

I got this DVD from my public library for my visiting grandkids, 10 and 13. We all watched it together, and were well entertained. I especially thought Randy Quaid was a great pick to play Vic Davies, middle aged father, engine builder, single father, and former champion Kart racer. His son Watts (Will Rothhaar ) is a good kid, but keeps getting into trouble. Minor stuff, but in the opening scenes we see him street racing his cart against a dual sport motorcycle, and ending up in someone's swimming pool.SPOILERS. Dad and son do not have a good relationship, turns out mom died in an accident 4 years earlier, both of them have trouble moving on. The break comes when dad decides to teach son how to be a good racer, using the indoor track grandpa had made for dad in the shop many years earlier. Dad also designed and built a Kart, there is some drama during the qualifying race, when right before a rain postponement, their Rotax motor breaks. So they take one that dad and mom had made 4 years earlier, install it, and Watts ends up coming from behind to win the race.

Kart racing isn't so easy, of course. And a goof I noticed: after the "Davies Comet" engine is installed, there is still footage of Watts racing with the Rotax Max. Also, kids that age do not race with MaxSr engines.The indoor lapping in the shop was a bit nuts.The racing sounds were overdubbed with car engines or something, because I drive a rotax kart and I have never heard it sound like that. These are two-cycle engines, and I rarely heard the noises I associate with these engines during any of the racing/driving footage.Also, these karts--RotaxMax--do not make 105mph top speed.