| Friday, June 16, 2006 |
00:26 - Race humor
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Man, I don't know what 24% of these people are thinking: Cars is further proof that everything Pixar touches turns to gold. I came out of Over the Hedge thinking that Dreamworks/PDI had finally reached a stage where they rivalled Pixar in writing skill and visually pleasing animation; well, forget all that. Maybe they could beat up the Pixar of ten years ago. Pixar hasn't been sitting still in the interim.
All I and various friends can think is that this movie's premise is one that appeals to a demographic that isn't well represented in the snooty coastal sensibilities of syndicated movie reviewers: NASCAR, Route 66, small-town America. Besides which, this movie actually makes use of Larry the Cable Guy in a way that makes his character endearing and fun, rather than toweringly awful. But he's an interesting bellwether and illustration of this point: I have the suspicion that a lot of the reviewers are reflexively suspicious of a movie with these themes and premises for the same reason that people like this IMDB commenter assume that because Larry the Cable Guy is a redneck, he must also be a racist. (Just part of the definition, right?) In the end you've got people pontificating archly about a world they've never visited, happy to convince themselves they're better off never having set foot there.
Meanwhile, Pixar's made a movie about American car culture that everyone from coast to coast can enjoy, not just the ones who appreciate being told how naughty they are for living in the suburbs and driving an SUV. (And being Pixar, they turned the training-for-the-championship "sports movie" formula on its head, making the protagonist start from excellence but have to develop character, rather than starting with nothing and having to fight his way up to the tune of a montage. It's both more "Disney" and more satisfying than the usual cliché-ridden fare.) This isn't a Finding Nemo—it didn't hold the attention of the kids in the audience even in the slightest, but that's all to the good for those who appreciate Pixar's more adult-oriented outings. And I daresay this one will be more fulfilling for car nerds than that one where people use their amazing drift-racing abilities to propel a car up a spiral parking garage ramp, something no car can do under normal circumstances, apparently.
The only thing that would have made Cars better is if they'd actually got Ah-nuld to play the Ah-nuld cameo. But I understand he's rather busy these days.
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Brian Tiemann
