Very disappointing...

Captivating movie !

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Eric Bana grew up near the airport in Melbourne. He and his mates were nowhere near the beach and grew up with a love of the muscle car. They decide to build their car and enter The Targa Tasmania Rally.This also has Jay Leno and Dr. Phil put in their two cents worth. I don't mind Jay because he has a connection with cars. I can do without Dr. Phil and his psycho babble. Bana may think that it is significant but it is not dramatic. The movie isn't particularly dramatic. There's no suspense in the racing or the need to race. Bana doesn't do it for the money or even the prize. So the result is unimportant and I don't really care about any psychological needs. Being a hobby also diminishes the tension. This is a professionally made home movie.

I was lent this on DVD a long time ago, and didn't get round to watching it, partly because I was worried that it would be a disappointment. I have taken part in Rallying for 7 years, and have been lucky enough to compete at a high level in an amateur capacity, and was worried the film would just be a "movie star spends a lot of money on a passing fad" affair, badly made and insincere, and the presence of Jeremy Clarkson on the credits added to this.I couldn't have been more wrong.From the beginning, this film appears to be a labour of love, and explanation of an obsession and a journey that has taken the majority of Eric Bana's life. It is beautiful to look at (aside from the quality of the in-car footage which sadly is a victim of the technology of a few years ago), and a real tribute to how Eric feels about his car and his relationship with his friends and family, with the car having been the centrepiece of this relationship - an excuse to get together which often men need to do so. It takes us through the history of the car, its transformations over the years including the current one to compete in the 2007 Targa Tasmania rally, 11 years after their first entry.The feeling of competing and more importantly how it makes us feel is well articulated, and the relationship between Eric and his navigator is one I know well, and felt myself laughing when they behaved as I have done on the stages with little jokes between the crew or being told off for going too quickly or told to "GO!" when it was time to hurry up.*SPOILER* - when the car is crashed, it is covered in a way which doesn't just show what happened, it shows the effect of it on the crew and their friends and family, and how they re-evaluate their relationship with the car and what it has meant to them over the years. Having been in the position that Eric Bana was, I really related to what he was saying about the car and what it meant to him, and also Dr Phil's description of the relationship between people and their cars. Seeing Eric's reaction to it was extremely interesting, particularly when he said he'd rather have a broken arm or leg than have 'killed' the car, and his apology to his navigator straight after the accident is something I completely identified with.I feel that I've really learned something by watching this film - not only about Eric Bana's relationship with his friends via his car, but also my own. It articulated the feelings that cars and specifically rallying evokes far better than I've ever managed or even realised - so much so that I'd say it was the kind of film that anyone who knows someone who competes or who is car obsessed should watch, as it'll probably explain it far better than anyone else could, and into the bargain you'll have an enjoyable 90 minutes watching a well-made and honest film.

This is the story of a man in crisis. It is the tale of someone who has taken his most prized possession, the obsession of his youth, the cornerstone of his dearest friendships, and has smashed it to pieces. He still has the pieces, but... what to do with them? What should he do? Is it reasonable for him to be so attached to it? Should he just give it up? This is his quest for answers to a lot of questions, about himself, about his family, about his friends, and, most fundamentally, about the fate of his Beast.You don't have to be a car guy to get it, but it does help. Bana works his demons out in a way that incorporates his two great loves that appeared together in "Mad Max": cinema, and the Falcon XB coupe.I saw this on SPEED Channel, and, although it was not literally made for the network, it fits right in. It is a 93 minute "Car Crazy Confession" with bits of "Jay Leno's Garage" and "Top Gear" thrown in for good measure. Unlike most "Car Crazy Confessions" though, it does not end on the happy note of acquiring or finishing the rebuild of the car of one's dreams; the Beast is still smashed at the end of the film. It ends in hope, though. We know that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Beast will ride again, just as Bana's father's Beast does at the end of the film, after having been abandoned for ten years and repaired by Eric and his mates. It will probably never see a racetrack again, except maybe the parking lot. Hopefully it will be put on the car show circuit, preferably right beside his father's car. It is a compelling tale even if no-one knew who Eric Bana was, as I didn't at the beginning of the show.All in all, it's a story of Eric Bana's life and an insight into his soul. All it missed was Tracy Chapman's "Remember the Tinman" playing at the end.

I saw an advance screening for this yesterday (8/3/09) and surprisingly, I throughly enjoyed it. Eric Bana has constructed an entertaining and enjoyable look at his personal love affair with his first car (a 1974 Ford GT Falcon Coupe), the first car he ever bought as a teenager. The documentary extends beyond just any old "Car Flick", to focus on why we all have our obsessions and hobbies and the roles they play in our lives. You don't have to be a rev head to enjoy this and thats the point, as an interesting study of obsession and an insight to the private life of one of Australias best loved actors, this is definitely worth a look.