Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
Konterr
Brilliant and touching
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
bobbyf
I really like Jim Caveizel and I really wanted to like this movie. But as it went on, even though it is supposedly based on real events, I found the story to be predictable and very unoriginal. All the classic elements of the underdog sports figure story are present: the semi-evil rival, the misunderstanding wife, the idolizing son, the driven hero, the supporting townsfolk, and all the tragedy and obstacles that must be overcome. I don't know anything about boat racing, but as the film went on, one could easily have inserted any sport and still had the same story. I'm sure that the original story was worthy of telling, but I find it hard to believe that the original story was as formulaic as this script was. I'd have to say the producers did the memory of these events a disservice in the writing.
alanmorris-1
I enjoyed the film, yes it is a bit hokey in places and the Bindleys have fudged some of the facts but you feel good walking out of the theater. A great family movie, it was a lot of fun. A lot of small-town humor, but you get the feeling of the mid west in the early '70's was more like the 1950's.The race scenes were very well done considering they were using about three or four boats and repainted them a lot. Great to hear the Merlins and Allisons doing their thing. The actual boats used in the movie are in the race boat museum in Seattle.For the fact nit-pickers, Harry Volpi lived in Reno, Nevada.
swinters47
This is, to my knowledge, the only feature film ever to be made about professional boat racing. And it tells what is probably the most compelling story the sport has ever produced: how the little river town of Madison, Indiana, came to host the 1971 APBA Gold Cup race (the sport's equivalent of the Indy 500) and how driver Jim McCormick struggled to lead Madison's community-owned racing boat, the Miss Madison, into the race.As a sports movie, "Madison" feels fairly similar to the Disney baseball movie, "The Rookie", which came out a few years ago. It places the sports story squarely within the context of family life, and its fundamental message is that of the value of community--especially small-town communities like Madison. (Hoosier rocker John "Small Town" Mellencamp even provides the narration for the movie.) Since this is a story about small-town underdogs taking on the big city favorites, it resembles other Indiana sports movies in many ways--"Breaking Away", "Rudy", "Hoosiers", etc. Its storyline is not really unique in that respect. But the movie is reasonably well done, and it really pulls you into the excitement of boat racing in the final sequence, through some really nice cinematography.I guess I can't help but feel like there was a missed opportunity here, though. It is unlikely that there will ever be another movie made about professional boat racing, so it would have been nice if "Madison" could have taught us more about what makes the people who are involved in the sport tick. There is one interesting comment made towards the end of the film about how "only someone who's raced boats can understand why so many men have given their lives for the sport." There was a lot behind that statement, I think--especially when made in reference to a sport which has such a notoriously dangerous reputation as boat racing. I just wish I could have come away from this movie with an even better understanding of where it came from.Besides that...this is a nice little movie, and a fine tribute to Jim McCormick and the people of Madison. Go ahead and take your kids to it, and don't forget to stick around for the final credits...
ohioauctioneer
Fantastic! I just saw a raw unedited screening in Cincinnati over the weekend and it was fabulous. This movie is going to be a HUGE success and a big BOOM for Madison Indiana, it's tourism industry, the Madison Regatta and hydroplane racing in general. I'm not from Madison but I enjoy visiting there whenever I get the chance. It was great to see so much of Madison's beautiful architecture and so many familiar sites in the movie , the Broadway Fountain, Shipley's, Hinkles, etc... That beautiful, historic old riverboat "The Belle Of Louisville" even makes an appearance. I understand the movie is slated for a somewhat limited release beginning April 22. If you live in or near one of the cities where it is being released GO SEE THIS MOVIE, It's awesome. If not, sit tight, trust me it'll be coming soon to a theater near you. Jim Caviezel does an excellent job at portraying Jim McCormick. McCormick's "Never say never" attitude comes shining through in the end as the small town, local boy makes good on his commitment to the town. This is a great family film, don't hesitate to take your children. No nudity, no violence, and no vulgar language, this one's a winner.
