Latest / The Next Reel Film Podcast / The Art of Racing in the Rain

Transcript

The Art of Racing in the Rain · The Next Reel Film Podcast

• 0:07
  Pete Wright: I'm Pete Wright.
• 0:08
  Andy Nelson: And I'm Andy Nelson.
• 0:10
  Pete Wright: Welcome to the next reel. When the movie ends.
• 0:12
  Andy Nelson: Our conversation begins. The art of racing in
• 0:16
  Pete Wright: the rain is over. I will walk among my fellow man, lick my lips with my small, dexterous tongue, and shake hands with a firm grasp.
• 0:29
  Trailer: No race was ever won in the corner, but many have been lost there. I should know. I was born to be a race car driver, but there's only one problem. That's not me. That's me.
• 0:46
  He picked me out of a pile of pups, a tangled mass of paws and tails. This one.
• 0:52
  Definitely this one.
• 0:54
  The pick of the litter. She always said that. Well, just a minute now. We were thinking of keeping them. He always said that too.
• 1:00
  Hey. Call it fate, call it luck. All I knew was I was meant to be his dog.
• 1:07
  Do you like that?
• 1:09
  Like it. I loved it. Sound, smells, I felt like I truly belonged. In racing your car goes where your eyes
• 1:21
  go. I'm
• 1:23
  Trailer: not really much of a dog person.
• 1:25
  Trailer: He's more person than dog. Denny was clearly taken with her grooming. She probably bathed every day for all I knew.
• 1:31
  Trailer: Does he always stare at people like this? If he likes them.
• 1:36
  Pete Wright: I I would like to open this conversation with an apology. Oh, okay. I had not seen this movie. It came highly recommended, clearly by somebody who did not know what a dog movie was or a racing movie, predominantly the latter.
• 1:57
  Andy Nelson: Well, it's not completely your fault, Pete, because there were a few sets of films where you had picked a few options. And I believe the option that you gave to me was we can either watch the latest of the Jack Ryan films, Shadow Recruit, or we can watch The Art of Racing in the Rain. Like, you hadn't quite decided, and you gave me that option. And, you know, last season, I was like, I'm not picking anything that I've seen before. And so I went with the one that I hadn't seen before, which was the art of racing in the rain.
• 2:31
  And so here we are. Both of our faults that were here.
• 2:35
  Pete Wright: Okay. So it's a bed that we made together.
• 2:37
  Andy Nelson: Yes. Yes. Yeah. You started making it, and then I just tucked the sheets in nicely.
• 2:42
  Pete Wright: Okay. Alright. Okay. So where to begin? I know you've written your review.
• 2:49
  I have not read it. I don't know where we landed.
• 2:52
  Andy Nelson: Well, as a way to kind of kick things off, I just want to, since in our member pre show chat, we talked about, dog movies, and we had kind of like our a whole variety of different dog movies. Where do you stand with the dog movie? Is it a is it a subgenre you enjoy? Do you like having your heart tugged? Do you get into, like, the emotional manipulation through, animals in this way?
• 3:18
  Pete Wright: Yes. I I do. Do I enjoy that? Not really. Especially dogs.
• 3:23
  Like, I feel a little bit like, I I'm always anxious that they're gonna kill the dog. They're gonna find a way to kill the dog. The dog dying of old age is generally okay. But if they kill the dog some other way, like through an act of violence, I I just don't connect with that. It throws me right out of the movie.
• 3:42
  That feels manipulative in a way that dogs dying of old age somehow does not.
• 3:48
  Andy Nelson: Interesting. Interesting. When I was a kid, there was a book that I got through, like, the Scholastic book club thing that you would get in elementary school.
• 3:57
  Pete Wright: Oh, yeah.
• 3:58
  Andy Nelson: It was called Max, the dog that refused to die. I loved that book so much. It was about a Doberman who was with his family and got left behind or lost. I can't remember exactly. And injured, And then and it's based on a true story, and then had to use his survival instincts to try figuring out how to get back to the cabin or whatever that his his family was staying in.
• 4:25
  And so, like, I I don't know. I've just grown up with those sorts of stories. And as a kid, you know, we are watching all sorts of movies through either animated films or or not, things like the incredible journey where anthropomorphized animals are like a core part of kind of our growing up. Like, we're putting these human instincts onto other creatures so that we can more personally kind of connect with them. And I think that's a huge part of the dog movie subgenre, whether it's a dramatic story or a comedy or an animated one, whatever the case may be.
• 5:06
  It's a it's a big part of it. And I don't know if if the core nature of them is designed to just be so completely manipulative and like be designed to break our heart if the dog dies, gets lost, things like that. But I think it's an easy it's easy to get people on board when you do that with your story. Because I think animals, we we just love our pets, and they're so easy to connect with. And so there is an element of that that I I don't necessarily think it's wrong to to make stories that way.
• 5:47
  I think it's a huge there's a lot of people who just absolutely adore watching those types of movies and connecting with those types of movies. But I do think it makes for an easy way to craft a story because in some way, you're getting an audience buy in just by the premise. It allows you to perhaps play a little more simply with plot points, emotions, things like that as you then kind of craft the story and everything.
• 6:20
  Pete Wright: Yeah. I think you get away like, having a a dog sort of principal character, you get away with a lot of shorthand around ideologies and belief systems that we also wrestle with applying to humans. And in this movie, especially, we're dealing with reincarnation. We're dealing with, you know, belief and identity and limitations of communication and all of these things that we sometimes struggle with as humans. And with a dog, it's just easy for us all to just accept.
• 6:48
  Yeah. That's really hard. It makes my and with the dog struggles, my heart aches. But my heart aches because I relate to the dog, and I also relate to my own struggles with that. And, you know, we also I I think we're just naturally, you know, heavy hearted when it comes to relationships between dogs and kids.
• 7:07
  We've got dogs and kids in this movie. And how many hero shots do we have of dog in car, which is just cute? And don't we all want a dog that doesn't completely spaz out when you put it in a car? I don't have that dog. Like, it's impossible to drive because my dog likes to be everywhere.
• 7:26
  And so, you know, that's sort of aspirational too. So there's it's got something.
• 7:32
  Andy Nelson: That's that's a funny funny note. Funny note. Yeah. And I I suppose, like, that's the thing with with a dog film is that you're you're crafting a story that it's gonna be an easy thing for an audience to click with right away because they know what they're getting into. And that's really where the core of this film is.
• 7:56
  And in the scope of the dog movie racing movie, I think it definitely leans in the dog movie relationships side of the story as opposed to the racing side of the story.
• 8:10
  Pete Wright: I I would agree. It is much, much more a dog movie than it is a racing movie. Much, much, much more. And that's fine. Disappointing for this series, for sure.
• 8:22
  I I was hoping for more racing. I don't know if I wanted the dog to actually be the driver, but I might have settled for that compared to what we got. So context was off for this movie. I went into it wanting, you know, wanting one thing, and I got something very different. Is there stuff that's kind of adorable about it?
• 8:42
  Sure. I I guess I guess it is. But for the most part, it didn't land very well with me.
• 8:48
  Andy Nelson: No. And I think that's where I sit with it is and and I'm not coming into it like you are other than the context of our series being a car racing series in which this is the final entry. I'm not coming into it like hoping for great race scenes or anything like that. You know? I just it's it but but to that end, even I could tell, well, it's not really a racing movie.
• 9:11
  Like, you know, it's like Even you? Yeah. Right. The racing is pretty mild.
• 9:19
  Pete Wright: Yeah.
• 9:20
  Andy Nelson: You know, just as a way to kick things off though, before we get into the the crux of the story, since the racing is the smallest part of the story, other than kind of thematically, it's worth just talking a little bit about this racing world in which Denny, our protagonist, is in. Because it seems to a certain extent, like, he's I don't know. What is it? Like, he's, like, in a lesser circuit or something? Like, what's what's the story that he you would say?
• 9:49
  Pete Wright: Yeah. He's kind of a hired gun looking for a seat. Right? Like, he just wants to work for a team and, and move up in the ranks of racing just to get his big shot. Right?
• 10:03
  He's just he's he's like the the sort of touring road band just waiting for a, you know, the next theater or auditorium gig. Right? Like, just trying to work up to a deal. And I think a lot of of drivers before they settle on a particular class of of car really just learn to be jacks of all trades and drive anything with wheels so that they can move up. And this was you know, this is Denny just wanting a shot eventually at getting on an f one team.
• 10:39
  Andy Nelson: Because he doesn't I'm trying to remember, like, where does he end up racing? Like, what would you say the races are? Are they just, like, little local races that he would be in that we see him the few times that he's racing?
• 10:51
  Pete Wright: I don't think he ever gets to one of the big races like Daytona. They're all just little circuit races. I don't I don't think he ever gets on a or maybe he does. You know, there's that sort of montage area where but they don't they're never really very specific about it.
• 11:06
  Andy Nelson: Well, and even when he does go on something, it's like we're we're staying at home with the dog and the family, and he comes back. He's like, I won. So there's a lot of that sort of stuff that happens. So I guess it's harder to tell the specifics of what he's actually doing because the way that the story is structured is is like, we're not necessarily there along for the ride.
• 11:28
  Pete Wright: Yeah. And the end of the movie is they move. Right? He is right? He gets a shot to move.
• 11:36
  But it's not even to race. Right. Right. It's to, you know, test and
• 11:42
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. He's a test driver of new cars is what it sounded like.
• 11:46
  Pete Wright: Right. But you know what? So was Ken Miles. You never know.
• 11:50
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Yeah. Good point. Well and yeah. And that's that's interesting because, and he does go to Daytona.
• 11:57
  That's where he is when when his daughter's born.
• 12:01
  Pete Wright: Right. Right. Right. Right. Okay.
• 12:03
  Yeah. So he got to Daytona. And we get we do get some of the day night stuff in Daytona a little bit. And rain. Don't don't forget, there's some racing in the rain because There's an art to it right here.
• 12:16
  Racers who who are when racers are really good, they control the weather.
• 12:24
  Andy Nelson: Well and and so yeah. So there's the racing stuff is minor, and it it but it plays into our protagonist's character because he grew or I don't know. He he's just kind of like one of these people who has to race, And it really kind of from there informs the rest of our story because it's really about a relationship with with his wife, Eve, who or his girlfriend and then wife and then mother of his his daughter. We have that whole relationship, and the racing comes in as a key element of conflict between her parents who look down upon someone who's but a car racer and the and kind of like the family unit that he's trying to create. Like, that becomes a, you know, a and a key part.
• 13:24
  And I suppose in the scope of our racing series so far, in every single film, we have dealt with aside from the world of the track, there's also the struggle of relationships off the track.
• 13:40
  Pete Wright: Yeah. That's a pretty important trope, I think, to these things, because it's not just complicated by the fact that this is a person who's essentially a roadie. Right? They just are constantly going from track to track, and it means they're away from home for long periods of time. But, also, the reason they're away from home puts their lives on the line every time they do their job.
• 14:01
  And so I think that adds just sort of an extra layer of complication, emotional complication. In this movie, it's that, you know, Eve's parents, I I think even as much as they look down on the job itself, largely because he's not terribly successful at it right away, but the fact that as a parent, they see it as irresponsible that he goes and does this job when now when he has this child and and no help at home as Eve passes away. So I, you know, I get it. I I do get it. It felt, you know, the the arc of losing Eve and the parental sort of manipulation started feeling pretty saccharin to me.
• 14:49
  And I don't know if that comes from the book. I I haven't read the book. And, you know, maybe it was fantastic. And also as as, you know, heart wrenching as this, maybe it leveled up on the family drama. I don't know.
• 15:06
  But it felt to me like this was a bit heavy handed, and you can feel it around every corner of the script, whether it's how the how the characters, particularly the dog, speaks. It felt a little bit like the feeling I get when I watch Dawson's Creek. Like, everyone speaks at a level that is just slightly unbelievable. And I don't think Kevin Costner would ever say the words dextrous tongue.
• 15:39
  Andy Nelson: Well, more people need to say dextrous dextrous tongue. See, I can't even say it. Yeah. See, because you don't talk that way. Tongue.
• 15:46
  Well, my tongue's not dextrous enough.
• 15:48
  Pete Wright: You still can't say it. Now you've practiced it twice.
• 15:52
  Andy Nelson: I said it fine that last time.
• 15:53
  Pete Wright: Oh, no. You you'll hear it in the edit. You're deck Okay. Alright. Done.
• 15:58
  Andy Nelson: I want I want to get all to the sacred stuff, but I wanna get all the driving stuff out of the way before we move on to the the real the bulk of our conversation. My last point that I have with all this racing element is really it it ties to the theme because, of all of our the movies in our series, we, you know, we didn't talk about this during rush, but I actually I don't know if we've talked about this at all. But, the two films in our series, Grand Prix and Le Mans, are basically named as such because that happens to be the race that they're competing in. Not exactly creative names, but at least it gives you a sense as to what our world is going to be. Right?
• 16:40
  And then you have rush, which is the worst title in the series because it gives you no context for what's going on. It's just a, I guess, in the case of the story, it's the adjective describing the feel they have when they're racing. And it's it's just it's a terrible name for the film. Like, I I was and we didn't talk about it in our conversation, but we should have because it's just an awful name that just doesn't do much to really define what it is we're about to watch. Ford v Ferrari pretty much spells it out.
• 17:11
  But as we discussed in that film, it's not really about Ford v Ferrari. Yes. It's kind of the setup of the story, but it's it's really about the people, not so much that battle. But of all the films, this one, actually felt like is the most creative and interesting title of the bunch because it actually goes into the thematic element of our story of this idea of the the trick that, that comes in understanding how to actually navigate in wet weather on a racetrack. And we get that spelled out pretty clearly over the course of the story a number of times.
• 17:52
  But I do find it to be interesting because it sets up how Denny is very, very strong at knowing how to work on wet racetracks. As you just mentioned earlier, that's really what leads him to winning at Daytona. Because once the rain starts, he is in his element, and he's able to navigate around and get himself into place. But also in the scope of the story, it's thematically, like, showing how to kind of, like, navigate through life's twists and turns and all of these, like, negative things that perhaps are thrown at you. And so of all the titles, I actually think this is my favorite of of the bunch because of how it connects to the theme.
• 18:36
  Pete Wright: Yeah. No. I I get that. And I you're right. Rush is the worst.
• 18:41
  I mean, if we're if we're gonna rank them, I I like this one. I just I feel like I should have known what kind of movie it was going to be by the title. My preference would be Ford v Ferrari because I think I actually think it's about Henry Ford and Enzo Ferrari, you didn't like that very much. But but I do get it, and it is definitely the most artful. Like, it's the it's it's the it it's got the most heart.
• 19:12
  Andy Nelson: Well, maybe that's why I like it because of all of the elements of this film, and now we may as well talk about it, that's the only artful thing in the whole film. Maybe not the only, but I'm just being cheeky. But it is something that stands out as having some actual thought and and creativity put into it. Whereas the story as a whole doesn't necessarily work to be as original.
• 19:43
  Pete Wright: Yeah. It's this movie is a Pinterest board, man. Like, this movie is I it it's like, okay. Here here we go. There are the there are the things.
• 19:54
  There's the the marriage and the cancer and the custody battle, and then there's death and reincarnation. And it's all through the eyes of this dog. And I found that so on the nose that I kind of couldn't believe what I was watching. I didn't I did not connect with it. This is a movie that was not made for me, for sure.
• 20:12
  Andy Nelson: Nor me. I appreciate that, you know, we talked about this in our pre show, like, these different dog movies and everything. Like, the dog movie story can be such a simple way to to get an audience on board. And this film is is told from the perspective, and it's, you know, generally through flashback because the beginning of the film, we have Denny coming home, and his dog Enzo is laying on the floor dying essentially. And then we, you know, and then he the dog proceeds to tell us the entire his life story of when Denny adopted him all the way through everything.
• 20:54
  And and you get the life's ups and downs, and and as you said, the marriage and, you know, the meeting and the marriage and the and the kid and the cancer and the custody, everything comes to play in this film. But in a way where, like and and I can appreciate I can appreciate stories that are designed to just manipulate me As long as I can tap into the characters and feel some sense of the way that they're structured, I can feel is I I can buy into it more. And here, I just felt like everything was was so designed specifically just for the easy way to kind of get the emotions out. And so I just I couldn't like, from the jump, I could not get into this film, and I just felt like I was watching it on the outside of them going through the motions of working to manipulate the audience. Like, that's just how I felt watching the entire thing.
• 22:02
  Pete Wright: I I wanna ask you about the framing mechanism because you brought up starting with the dog, you know, in its own mess. Beginning with the end, it tells us right up front the dog is gonna die. Normally, I hate framing mechanisms like this. I wonder if there's a different calculus that goes into into it with a dog movie in particular. Did that work for you?
• 22:30
  I mean, obviously, the movie didn't work for either of us. So I'm I'm just sort of speaking abstractly.
• 22:35
  Andy Nelson: Interestingly, that played fine for me. And I think it boils down to the fact, aside from the incredible anthropomorphizing of the dog to the point where the dog is essentially a human trapped in
• 22:52
  Pete Wright: the body of a dog.
• 22:52
  Andy Nelson: I mean, that's that's the level this movie goes. Like, talking at a college level vocabulary and able to not just watch TV, but understand everything that he's watching. Essentially, English is basically what the film is implying. And it's it's like let me answer your question before I go down that tangent. The film talks about how or or or Enzo, the dog, talks about how he had seen this documentary called state of dogs, which is a real documentary, a Mongolian documentary from 1998, and it follows the life and death of a stray dog named Basar.
• 23:34
  And it talks about Mongolians and their belief in reincarnation and where dogs are believed to be reborn as humans. So that's that's a real belief, a real documentary about this particular thing. And the fact that Enzo has seen that, understood it, and is talking about it, for me, made that framing mechanism work because he's now in this place where he's thinking about his own death and hoping beyond hope as he has said throughout the film that he's done kind of reincarnating into the body of another dog, and he's ready for that final jump of moving into the body of a of a human. And that because of that that conversation about that documentary, that made the framing mechanism work for me.
• 24:27
  Pete Wright: Okay. I think maybe it's okay with me, this particular framing mechanism, because like I said before, I kind of resent when dog movies kill the animals. So so knowing that the dog was gonna was gonna die, was a a dose of reality that I could kind of truck with. I I was okay with that too. But staying on the dog, Kevin Costner, you you already complain, rightly so, about the character of the dog, the sophistication of the dog.
• 25:01
  I struggled to to buy into that. And I I know that this movie isn't for me because I didn't like that part. I didn't feel like the perspective of the dog was I I just never really connected with it. The fact that they gave the voice to old Kevin Costner was interesting to me because I'm on the record as saying old Kevin Costner is a Kevin Costner I can get behind. But this golden retriever puppy sounded the same as the old dying dog, and most of the movie is about this, like, embodiment of joy and boundless energy in this dog.
• 25:40
  And I thought that was such a high jump meets low ceiling kind of a a character positioning that that I it was comical for the wrong reason. Did you have any of that?
• 25:53
  Andy Nelson: Well, no. Because and maybe it's one of us reading it wrong, but never are we hearing the dog talk as a young dog. We're only ever hearing
• 26:04
  Pete Wright: Through flashback.
• 26:06
  Andy Nelson: As the old dog looking back on his life. So it wouldn't make sense to like, they would have had to cast different actors to play the dog at different points if we didn't have the framing mechanism. So again, because we have that framing mechanism, it gives them the chance to say, old man Costner is gonna be old man Enzo. Old dog Enzo. Yeah.
• 26:27
  Pete Wright: Yes. Which might be okay. I this is my this is my challenge with it. Right? My challenge is that, like, I understand the framing mechanism.
• 26:38
  I understand why we we only hear him in the past. I could not get past that iconic Costner gravelly voice when overlaid on top of this the younger dog. Like, I just I couldn't get past it. It hearing Costner took me out of the movie in a way that I don't I I don't think they obviously intended.
• 27:01
  Andy Nelson: I had no issue with that. Like, I and I wonder if your issue isn't so much Costner. I mean, I know it perhaps is because I know you have an issue with Costner. I don't think I even knew you liked Costner now. I thought you still called him two by four and and just pretty much had had constant issues with anything Costner was in.
• 27:21
  But for me I'm the worst. It it boils down less to the fact that Costner is the voice and more to just the fact that the script isn't good. Like, it's easy lines. It's easy jokes. Like, everything goes for, you know, that base level of humor that is just it's it's just I don't know.
• 27:43
  I feel like it's probably easy to write when you're when you're crafting something from a dog's perspective because it allows you to just mine those those little jokes that you get, like the dog's perspective of Eve. Like, oh, she always smells so nice. I can't remember what he said, but he always had those sorts of lines of, like, how would a dog think about her how she moves her hips or the perfume she wears. She must wash groom herself all, you know, all the time. I think that for me is the is the main problem with this.
• 28:17
  Is it just and I don't know. I it was funny because I was thinking about this. I'm like, I don't think if they if they had made this an animated film and the dog was as interested in racing his as he is and understands the people like he does, I feel like it would have had less a problem. But because he is, like I said, essentially a human in dog form, it just I can't buy it when it's a live action film. And again, it's not Kevin Costner so much that bothers me.
• 28:45
  It's just the way that the lines play. Like, the dialogue just I I couldn't with the dialogue. It was always at a level that just for me was just so designed to just get that, go for that reaction.
• 29:05
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Well, mean, I agree on all counts. I think I I definitely don't wanna discount the perils of the script of the dog voice not understanding certain things, like smells and grooming, but also having an Oxford vocabulary. That that's problematic. I think Kevin Costner's voice was probably the wrong like, there there might have been someone who could straddle the flashback energy and do that.
• 29:37
  In that regard, it feels like Kevin Costner was stunt casting to me. But I can move on from that. Milo Ventimiglia. This is an area where I may be an island, but I really, really liked him in heroes. And so that bought a certain amount of patience for me in this movie because I just like the guy, and I wanna see him succeed in stuff.
• 30:03
  And here we are in this movie where he gets the chance a chance to play a role that I think is interesting. I'd like to see him behind the wheel of a car in a proper racing movie and see what that looks like. And so I was able to kind of meter my my inner critic head for at least forty minutes before it got too loud. What'd you think of Milo?
• 30:27
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. I mean, I I think that he's fine. I I've generally enjoyed, like, when I've seen him in films or TV shows, like, and I generally think of him as a TV guy. Like, Gilmore Girls, think is probably where I saw him. Heroes for sure.
• 30:44
  And I didn't watch it, but I know This Is Us was like a big Huge. A big thing for a lot of people and a big role for him, along with The Company You Keep, is a a newer show that he's done. So I know that he's very, very popular in in a lot of these, the TV circles and everything. I think that he's fine. Like, I I and, you know, ask me about any of the other actors in the film.
• 31:08
  I'm probably gonna say, yeah, I think they're fine. I think they're doing the job that is asked of them in this film. But, you know, it's this film. It's this script. You know?
• 31:21
  It's it's this story. And no matter how good I think they they do in the role, I'm gonna just struggle with the fact that they're they're delivering pretty it's it's just a pretty easy story to crank out. Like, Simon Curtis directed this, and I don't know if it really required much work because, like, you you do a a dog story, especially one like this where it's told from the dog's perspective, and I just feel like it's it's kind of like easy pickings. And I just, you know, I mean, yeah, Milo is fine. I just I didn't feel like the role required a whole lot.
• 31:58
  Pete Wright: Yeah. I I I agree, and I I I don't need to pull apart every character performance. I, you know, I'm bullish on Milo, and so I'm I'm fine moving on because I'm exactly the same place. I think everybody else is is fine. The one sort of underserved character in the movie, which makes for, I think, my favorite my favorite part, and it's a weird spike of a high point in this movie, is delusional dancing giraffe, which
• 32:28
  Andy Nelson: Giraffe. From
• 32:29
  Pete Wright: Zebra. I mean, zebra. Yeah. Zebra. Which was a hard left turn in this movie that I did not see coming, and I loved it.
• 32:39
  I loved that the dog has an imaginary arch villain.
• 32:43
  Andy Nelson: It was it was the one element that really stood out in this film of, like, okay, they're doing something unique here that was kind of fun. Like, again, it's it's scripted in a way where he gets the zebra or his the daughter gets a z stuffed zebra, and it sets up like this arch nemesis, like, I knew it was always gonna be the zebra. You know, it's a little a little much, but it allowed for the way that that those kind of that insanity would play out in the story. That brings me to a question I had as I was watching this. There are a number of questions, but, like, the the one that I thought was like, is this real?
• 33:32
  Suddenly, because basically what happens is mom gets sick, dad is off at a race, dad mom gets sick, has to take the daughter to her parents so that she can either go to the hospital or just, you know, find a place to chill, and forgets about the dog, leaves the dog behind. And the dog is just like, well, thank goodness that dogs have this ability to survive on very little food for, for so long. I'm like, what? What is this? And I've been trying to Google.
• 34:03
  I'm like, is this a thing? Can dogs survive a prolonged period of time with no food? And, it's just like people. It's like, you know, you can. You're kind of starving, but it's like, I don't know.
• 34:17
  Pete Wright: Until you run out of water in the toilet, the water is the problem. Right?
• 34:21
  Andy Nelson: Right. Exactly. But still, it was such a weird point to bring up. And it I don't know. The way that it was scripted, like, I laughed out loud when he said that.
• 34:30
  I was like, thank god I can go along. Thank god dogs are designed to to go a long time without food. Like Right.
• 34:36
  Pete Wright: What? What? The dogs are really special, Andy. You didn't know? So special.
• 34:43
  Andy Nelson: But I guess it was just designed to give us that sense that he ends up in a delusional state, sees zebra that torments him, and basically puts him in a place where he's destroying all the the daughter's stuffed animals in the in the in her room, which played fine, and it was kind of funny. At the same time, we have it come back again as he's kind of signing away the custody to his his in laws. And then the pen is one of those kid pens that has the little floating, thing inside, which happens to be a zebra. That's his clue to rip up the contract, like, all of these things. I'm like, alright.
• 35:20
  But hallucinating with the zebra, that was one moment I'm like, okay. I don't know what is going on with this crazy film. Very strange. Very strange moment.
• 35:29
  Pete Wright: Yeah. I was hoping it would continue that vibe in some way, shape, or form. Like, it just was a movie that did not take any risks. It's overall super controlled, constrained, wholesome, kinda melancholic. Predictable.
• 35:45
  It just didn't seem to to fully embrace any one identity in favor of being a lot of things. And I think the zebra is case example number, you know, one zero five of that, of not committing to any uniqueness in this movie. They didn't even really commit to uniqueness of the relationship with a dog to the car. I mean, the I thought that there was an emotional high point, a taut heartstring moment when at the very end, he takes the dog to the track and and gives him a a drive in the race car. I I was not moved by it, but I saw what it was trying to do.
• 36:32
  I I saw what they were trying to to do. And and I've thought about my dog, like, in in that way thinking, oh, I'm sure he wants x right now. I just don't know if I wanna go race around a track in your race car convertible is an answer that I would ever come to. But I like that they that that it felt at home in this kind of movie.
• 36:55
  Andy Nelson: It was very much exactly what in this world about a race car driver. Of course, he thinks his dog wants to come out on a final race around the track with him. But it did make me like, there were a lot of, yeah, unintentional laugh moments for me throughout the film. And I know for other people, like, I mean, I've read people's reviews on on Letterboxd and places, and people are, like, talking about how much they're weeping throughout these moments in the film. And so, I mean, it's clear sign to me that it just didn't work for me, but it really taps into something with everybody else.
• 37:26
  Makes you feel like a monster. I'm just like, my god. He's driving this dog around? Does the dog just die in the seat next to him while he's driving? Like, that's what it seems like.
• 37:35
  Pete Wright: What if he wrecks? It's well,
• 37:39
  Andy Nelson: this dog it just like, it fades to white or whatever it does. I'm like, I think the dog just died in the seat while he's driving. Like, it's just like dark, dark story. Yeah. So it it just had a lot of things that that made me questioning, like, character actions, like things that just felt so, so designed, like, when the father-in-law is being pushy about getting Denny to, you know, sign the the paperwork so that they can have custody rights, and is, like, grabbing his arm, and Denny just, like, move pulls his arm out.
• 38:14
  Of course, the dad falls, hurts himself, and now he's suing. It's just like, ugh. It was also it was just so predictable. And that was my issue. It's just like I knew everything where this story was gonna go.
• 38:26
  It's just like I don't know. It just it played in the most predictable way possible. And for me, that just doesn't work. I know for a lot of people, they really tap into that because they can just go along for the ride. But for me, I just was I could not get into it because everything is just predictable from start to finish.
• 38:45
  Yeah. Yeah.
• 38:47
  Pete Wright: I'm right there with you.
• 38:49
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Yeah. I was curious to see that Patrick Dempsey was one of the producers on it, and I guess that's because he was originally back in 02/2009, so ten full years before the film was made. He actually, when Universal bought the rights to the book, he was on board to actually play Denny. I don't know if he was only on as a producer just in a cursory way because of that connection that he had had at at those early days, or if he actually stayed on board and ended up producing.
• 39:25
  But I thought that was interesting. And I know and, you know, he is another of these actors who is huge in the world of racing. Like, he, like, loves to do his own racing and stuff. Right? Didn't you say in one of our conversations, like, he's somebody who's, like, been on a team or something?
• 39:39
  Pete Wright: Oh, yeah. He's he's a he's a big, big racing guy. Yeah. In terms of celebrities that go into racing, he's one of the big ones.
• 39:48
  Andy Nelson: Right. Right. Right. Right. As a, you know, a side note or before we kind of shift the conversation, what's interesting about this book that Garth Stein wrote the original book that that, the film was based on, the book ended up getting on some lists as far as getting banned.
• 40:10
  Did you hear about all of this?
• 40:13
  Pete Wright: Getting banned for what? Treasonous dog behavior?
• 40:18
  Andy Nelson: I guess there's a there's a a situation in the in the book where the character, where Denny ends up in a situation where there's some girl who accuses him, like, you know, a fan or something accuses him of, touching her or something inappropriate. And a school banned it because they felt that, it was it was too much for students to be looking at. And and, you know, Stein came back and said, you know, I think that it's important for students to be aware that this is the like, they're graders. Like, things happen. People do things, and this is the way that the world can work sometimes.
• 41:03
  And I don't I I don't know if there was I don't know what the resolution was, but I thought that was actually interesting. Likewise, in a in a school in school district in Utah, they also said sensitive materials. It was in their list of books with sensitive materials, and so they also banned the book. Yeah.
• 41:23
  Pete Wright: I think the the biggest defense that I have so far heard is that the character of Clutch the cat from the book was written out of the movie. That's right, Andy. There was a cat in the book. Interesting.
• 41:40
  Andy Nelson: Did the did the cat also enjoy racing and watching TV with the like, did they have dialogues?
• 41:46
  Pete Wright: Erased from history, Andy. We'll never know. Also, I haven't read the book.
• 41:50
  Trailer: You're gonna have to read the book now, Pete.
• 41:51
  Pete Wright: I
• 41:51
  Andy Nelson: know. Add it to your reading list.
• 41:54
  Pete Wright: The one thing that we haven't talked about too is that I don't remember why we started talking about Martin Donovan the other week. Why did we talk about Martin Donovan the other week? Because you mentioned something about that crazy movie that I made you watch when we were in college called Surviving Desire.
• 42:09
  Andy Nelson: Oh, was he yeah. He was in that.
• 42:12
  Pete Wright: That was him. He was the professor who fell for one of his students and did the wonky dance scene in the alley. And Well, that was when we
• 42:20
  Andy Nelson: were talking about our new season because you have a David Mammoth film on our list.
• 42:24
  Pete Wright: I do. That's right. Okay. Good. Well, that's the connection.
• 42:27
  Martin Donovan is the evil, evil father-in-law who draws the fowl on the in the flower pot in this movie, and it's not great. Not a great look for him.
• 42:39
  Andy Nelson: I was curious in the scope of the law, and and this is where my brain was because I wasn't connecting with the film. I was like, can a wife be made to testify? I was like, yeah. I thought that they weren't allowed to testify on behalf of or against their spouse because well, I know you can't, like, make a spouse testify against their spouse because they because of that connection that they are more likely to lie. But I didn't think I was curious, like, can you actually even have them on the stand, or are they ever considered trustworthy in a case with like this?
• 43:18
  And I guess you can. I guess
• 43:19
  Pete Wright: Well, especially because it was the dad that wanted her to to testify. She was the witness.
• 43:26
  Andy Nelson: They can't be made to testify against their spouse, but they can be they can testify for their spouse. They don't have you can't make them do it, but they can if they want to in in the state of Washington.
• 43:39
  Pete Wright: And she did both. She wanted to testified on his behalf and then turn coded. She was a Benedict Arnold on the stand.
• 43:48
  Andy Nelson: Well, we had to learn that Denny is the better person in every situation, Pete.
• 43:52
  Pete Wright: Every Every situation. We had to get a reaction shot of Denny nodding solemnly at her across the courtroom.
• 44:02
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. And then allowing them both into the birthday party. See? He's he's just a good person all around.
• 44:08
  Pete Wright: He's the bigger man everywhere. Everywhere. Yep. And Martin Donovan must be taught a lesson. But bigger than
• 44:14
  Andy Nelson: all of them, Pete, is Enzo, who, you know, ends up getting reincarnated as a kid. Oh, yes. I don't know, Andy. Yeah.
• 44:23
  Pete Wright: I don't know about that.
• 44:25
  Andy Nelson: It's a it's not a film made for me. I I it's fair to say I absolutely hated it.
• 44:35
  Pete Wright: Absolutely hated it. Absolutely. I hated it.
• 44:38
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Okay. I'm not saying it's a bad film. I I you know, it's there are plenty of people it's made for, but a 100%, not me. That's where
• 44:47
  Trailer: I sit with this one.
• 44:48
  Pete Wright: Alright. Well, this that's great. I think that was enough. Okay.
• 44:55
  Andy Nelson: Alright. Should we move on?
• 44:57
  Pete Wright: Yes. Let's do it. Okay.
• 44:59
  Andy Nelson: We'll be right back. But our credits.
• 45:13
  Pete Wright: The next reel is a production of True Story FM, engineering by Andy Nelson, music by Dorbin Lulu and Amatai Mann, Supernito, Everett Z, Oriole Novella, and Eli Catlin. Andy usually finds all the stats for the awards and numbers at the -numbers.com, boxofficemojo.com, imdb.com, and wikipedia.org. Find the show at truestory.fm. And if your podcast app allows ratings and reviews, please consider doing that for our show.
• 45:55
  Andy Nelson: As a faithful canine companion, I've always been fascinated by my human's love for movies. I may not understand every word or image that flickers across the screen, but I can sense the profound joy and excitement that films bring to my master's life. It all started when I noticed my human spending countless hours on a website called Letterboxd. At I wasn't sure what to make of it. After all, I'm just a dog, and the intricacies of human technology often escape me.
• 46:22
  But as I watch my master log films, write thoughtful reviews, and connect with other movie enthusiasts, I began to grasp the significance of this peculiar passion. Through Letterboxd, I've seen my human discover new films, engage in lively discussions, and find a sense of belonging within a community of fellow cinephiles. The happiness that radiates from my master during these moments is unmistakable, and it fills my canine heart with warmth and contentment. I may not be able to read the glowing reviews or appreciate the nuances of a well crafted film, but I understand the importance of pursuing one's passions, and Letterbox, it seems, has become an integral part of my human's journey through the world of cinema. If you're a movie lover like my master, I highly recommend exploring the wonders of Letterboxd for yourself.
• 47:03
  By upgrading to a pro or patron membership, you'll gain access to exclusive features that will enhance your experience such as personalized stats pages, the ability to filter your activity feed, and the option to select your favorite poster and backdrop for any film. As a bonus, if you're a listener of the NextReal, you can receive a special 20% discount on your Letterbox membership regardless of whether you're a new or renewing member. Simply visit the nextreel.com/letterbox or use the code next reel when signing up, and you'll be well on your way to joining a vibrant community of film lovers. Take it from a loyal dog who has witnessed the transformative power of Letterboxd firsthand. If movies are your passion, this is an opportunity you won't want to miss.
• 47:43
  Sign up today and embark on a journey of cinematic discovery just like my master did. As you lose yourself in the magic of Letterboxd, creating lists, sharing your thoughts, and connecting with like minded individuals, remember that you're not just watching movies, you're becoming a part of something greater. And if you ever need a reminder of the joy that comes from pursuing your love for film, just picture me, a contented canine curled up at my master's feet, basking in the warmth of a life well lived.
• 48:09
  Pete Wright: Okay. Awards, Andy. Did it have any awards? So many awards. Best dog in film?
• 48:15
  Andy Nelson: You know, I am surprised that there isn't an award thing out there for, like, animal movies. Like, you know, the the ASPCA needs to start up, like, their own awards show just focusing on the animals in film that year.
• 48:30
  Pete Wright: A 100% that needs to happen.
• 48:33
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. But there are none. This film, got Bupkis. Not a single nomination for this movie.
• 48:40
  Pete Wright: Alright. Well, I guess we need to talk about the numbers. How to do at the box office. Weird timing for this movie.
• 48:53
  Andy Nelson: Curtis had of 18,000,000 for his dog racing movie or 22,300,000.0 in today's dollars. The movie opened 08/09/2019 opposite scary stories to tell in the dark, Dora and the lost city of gold, the kitchen, the angry birds movie two, and Brian Banks, along with the limited release of The Peanut Butter Falcon. The movie went on to earn 26,400,000.0 domestically and 7,400,000.0 internationally for a total gross of 41,900,000.0 in today's dollars. That lands the film with an adjusted profit per per finished minute of just under 180,000, A decent enough win, I suppose, for this little movie.
• 49:26
  Pete Wright: It was the the timing was funny. It was, because it was it it was released right on the tail of Disney's acquisition of Fox. And I think there were people who thought it would be buried. Like, it would be either buried, not released, whatever. But, you know, clearly, it found some attention.
• 49:46
  They let it go. So
• 49:48
  Andy Nelson: yeah. It was the film that they released under that new ownership.
• 49:52
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Right. So yeah. Yeah. Alright.
• 49:55
  Well, I'm you know, it's it's a bit of an anemic kind of whimper on our way out the door for this season. In terms of the last movie of our last series, I you know, Bah humbug.
• 50:09
  Andy Nelson: Well, you know what? We are adding on, as we've said, another surprise episode that we'll release to members, but we'll also end up releasing it to the public just as a as a nice little way to finish things out And finish this series and season both. Worth it. Worth it. I hope so.
• 50:29
  Your comments made me nervous that it's, that might not be made for me. It might be made for race fans.
• 50:34
  Pete Wright: Oh god. I can't wait. I want you okay. Alright. Well I don't wanna talk about it right now.
• 50:39
  Trailer: Okay. Alright. Alright.
• 50:41
  Pete Wright: K.
• 50:41
  Trailer: Yeah. Alright. Well, we'll be right
• 50:43
  Andy Nelson: back for our ratings. But we are at this point where it's the end of the season. And as I just said, we're having a surprise member bonus episode, which is f one, Joseph Kaczynski's new movie. Perfect fit for the series. So expect that at the end of the month along with our other regular member bonus episode.
• 51:00
  But we are off for the month of July and back early August with the film of our next season, our fifteenth season. That's right, Pete. Kicking things off with a return to the John Wick series, looking at the latest film, ballerina. Or should I say the world of John Wick, ballerina. From the world of John Wick.
• 51:16
  I I hope that's not the actual title of the film. From the world of John Wick, the ballerina. Just like f one. Right now, it's listed as f one, the movie. I'm like, I hope that's not the title.
• 51:27
  Like, what a dumb title.
• 51:28
  Pete Wright: I think that's I think the actual title is f one from the world of cars.
• 51:34
  Andy Nelson: No? Or does his car talk to him? That would be
• 51:39
  Trailer: a trip. Like, if he started actually having a conversation. They've never shown it in the trailer,
• 51:43
  Andy Nelson: but what if Brad Pitt and his car actually have conversations with each other?
• 51:48
  Pete Wright: They're best friends.
• 51:50
  Andy Nelson: Like a little a little face on the steering wheel, and they talk while they're driving?
• 51:53
  Pete Wright: Yeah. It's got a real Knight Rider vibe.
• 51:56
  Andy Nelson: Oh, wow. This is great.
• 52:04
  Trailer: Do you like your jobs? I know a school where they teach jobs is. I could take you there if you like.
• 52:21
  Trailer: To stop the assassin, you must become the assassin. You will always be weaker. You will always be smaller. You want to win? Improvise.
• 52:37
  Adapt. Cheat.
• 52:46
  Trailer: Welcome to the Continent.
• 52:49
  Yves Macaro, the Rascaro. A pleasure to see you again. You have no idea what you just walked into. They killed my father. This isn't done until they're dead.
• 53:32
  Fate is a very humbling thing. You are him. The one they call the Baba Yaga. How do I start doing what you do? Looks like you already have.
• 54:24
  Pete Wright: Hi. I'm Clutch. Yes. Clutch the cat. Denny and Enzo's cat.
• 54:32
  The one you didn't see in the movie. That's because I was completely forgotten, written out, abandoned, left behind while they raced around the world learning life lessons in the rain. Meanwhile, I was at home alone, staring at an unplugged floor lamp and slowly dying of ennui. But sure, give the dog a voice over and a reincarnation arc, very original. Look.
• 55:03
  If you don't wanna be forgotten, if you wanna be part of something, then just go to trustory.fm/join and support the shows you love. You'll get your own podcast feed with early access to episodes. You'll get ad free versions, in episode bonus content that doesn't leave you out just because you use a litter box. You'll also get periodic bonus episodes, access to exclusive channels in the Discord server, livestream recording sessions, and sometimes, and I cannot stress this enough, random stickers in the mail. You can't lick them, but you can hoard them, which is a joy all its own.
• 55:44
  So join the cool humans at truestory.fm/join. Support the podcast you love. Help them remember the forgotten. And if you see Denny and Enzo, tell them I knocked their trophies off the shelf,
• 55:59
  Trailer: and I knew what I was doing the whole time.
• 56:05
  Pete Wright: Letterboxd, Andy. That's where you can find us over at letterbox.com/thenextreel. That's our HQ page. Andy, you absolutely hated this movie. I believe those were the words.
• 56:16
  Andy Nelson: Those were the words I said. Yes. So three stars?
• 56:20
  Pete Wright: Probably no heart.
• 56:22
  Andy Nelson: Quibbles? I would again Is it three stars and some kibbles? I I Wow. Yeah. You just went there.
• 56:34
  I you know, this is just a 100% not my type of film. Like, I just I it was laughable, the whole thing. Just not for me. It's a half star. And, you know, I think I think I'm giving it a half just because the the zebra scene was just so weird.
• 56:56
  And I was laughing like I was like, what the hell are they doing now? But it it got a reaction out of me. So I'm gonna give it a half star just for the zebra.
• 57:05
  Pete Wright: Are you giving are you giving it a heart? No.
• 57:14
  Andy Nelson: What about you? Where do you sit?
• 57:17
  Pete Wright: I you know, I was really torn. Now that you gave it a half star, I'm I'm rethinking. How much does the zebra and my general affinity to the likable Milo Ventimiglia earn for in terms of stars. It doesn't get a heart. Let me just say that right off the jump.
• 57:36
  I think I'm I think I'm probably gonna land at a star. No. Two stars. I'm gonna give it no. It's a star.
• 57:45
  I take it back. It's a star. Why would I wanna waste a star on another movie? I'm never coming back to this movie. I'm not coming back to it.
• 57:53
  I don't need it in my life.
• 57:54
  Andy Nelson: That was quite the kiddie roller coaster ride.
• 57:56
  Pete Wright: Yeah. I'm glad it exists for those people who love it. That's have all the fun you want.
• 58:00
  Andy Nelson: No. Totally. I agree.
• 58:02
  Pete Wright: I agree. But if you're looking for a driving movie, go find a driving movie. Yeah. Alright.
• 58:08
  Andy Nelson: Just not Le Mans.
• 58:13
  Pete Wright: Go watch Ronan.
• 58:14
  Andy Nelson: Wow. Alright. Well, that averages out to to, point seven five, three quarters of star, which will round up to one over at our account on Letterbox at the next reel. You can find me there at Soda Creek Film. You can find Pete there at Pete Wright.
• 58:29
  So what did you think about the art of racing in the rain, and how wrong are we? We would love to hear your thoughts. Hop into the ShowTalk channel over at our Discord community where we will be talking about the movie this week.
• 58:39
  Pete Wright: When the movie ends
• 58:41
  Andy Nelson: Our conversation begins.
• 58:57
  Pete Wright: Letterbox giveth, Andrew. As letterboxed always doeth. What you which way did you go?
• 59:04
  Andy Nelson: I went high.
• 59:05
  Pete Wright: Okay. That's weird.
• 59:06
  Trailer: Which way
• 59:07
  Andy Nelson: did you go?
• 59:07
  Pete Wright: I went low.
• 59:09
  Andy Nelson: Well, I wanted to see the other side.
• 59:11
  Pete Wright: Well, you know the other side. Let me guess. You found something that really surprised you, wink.
• 59:19
  Andy Nelson: Of course. Of course. You want me to go Is that what you're saying? I do. Alright.
• 59:23
  Five stars by Lexi X. Still balling, all caps, as I write this. What a beautiful effing movie. OMFG. Enzo's last ride was beautiful officially being moved to my top four.
• 59:35
  Wow. That's what I'm saying.
• 59:37
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Really surprised me with that review. Okay. I'm gonna give you a half star. And this is because this the the person Jasper Raines actually saw the same movie that I did.
• 59:51
  Okay. Movie about a dog starter pack. Dog is found or rescued by main character. Dog narrates the movie and for some reason has the vocabulary of a tenured Oxford professor. Dog's owner falls in love with a girl.
• 1:00:06
  Dog dog does not like her and feels ignored. Dog does not understand sex and makes some funny comment about humans petting each other. Dog owner's now wife and mother of their child, dies tragically. Sad funeral montage with piano ballad in the background. Big twist is that the dog is a person who's been reincarnated.
• 1:00:29
  I'm actually guessing that's the case in this movie from the reviews because I refused to watch any more of it. I only managed to sit through an hour and I gave up. Why do they keep making this rubbish? Yeah. Yeah.
• 1:00:44
  Good. That's good. That's right. We saw the
• 1:00:47
  Andy Nelson: spectrum. Yep.
• 1:00:49
  Pete Wright: Yep. Alright. Thanks, Letterboxd.