Do you like fast cars? Underdog stories? A blinding amount of shameless product placement. Multiple correct pronunciations of Nissan even if we’re just gonna keep saying it the American way? Then hey, Gran Turismo may just be your new favorite movie. Based on both a best selling video game, or I’m sorry driving simulator, and a “true” story, Gran Turismo tells the tale of Jann Mardenborough going from racing game addict to professional racer, filled with all the highs and lows that can be found on a studio notes checklist. The film’s interesting concept does get devalued a bit with its fairly bland narrative and story beats, but does make up for some of these shortcomings with often engaging racing scenes and impressive technicals. Its story often feels a bit lopsided in energy and emotion, yet its quick pacing does keep things zooming. It’s definitely more of a biopic than a video game film, and at times more of a commercial than an actual film, but there’s enough going for it here that makes it a fairly decent watch.

Let’s talk about perhaps one of the most glaring issues of this film, and that’s the product placement. If you’re not familiar with the Gran Turismo franchise, it’s one of the flagship titles for Playstation, and god damn, this film will not let you forget it. The film obliterates your eyeballs with as many references to Playstation, Sony, Nissan and the game itself as it can without just keeping the Playstation logo watermarked over the entire film. The film even kicks off with what is undeniably a Gran Turismo commercial. This works for The Super Mario Bros. movie because it takes place in the game’s universe, and this works for Barbie because it’s satirical, but it’s just shameless advertising here. I knew to expect a bit of brand name circle jerking, but this turned out to be more of a corporate orgy. 

The film is labeled with the ever-suspicious “Based on a true story” subtitle, or in some cases, it’s literally in the name of the movie. Real Harley Quinn/Birds of Prey situation. Of course you have to take some of these films with a grain of salt, as more often than not, Hollywood will twist the truth in order to fit the narrative they see fit. That’s more or less the case here, framing Jann as the first winner of the GT Academy, a competition to find the best Gran Turismo player and train them to compete in an actual race car. The film does take its liberties with portraying this story and making changes the producer’s believed to be best. Jann is portrayed as the first ever winner, even though he’s technically the 3rd, the Academy is portrayed as this super prestigious proving grounds while it was a television show in reality, and certain events in Jann’s life are rearranged to be used beneficially for the plot, such as the use of a crash Jann was involved in that killed a spectator being used as a plot device when in actuality it took place after the events of the film. That moment does kind of feel gross to capitalize on considering an innocent bystander died, but that’s probably the only instance of revisionism I would label as questionable. And truthfully this kind of stuff isn’t a bad thing. Real life is hardly ever a three act structure with adequate pacing. You gotta play loose with the facts, and I don’t really have a problem with it here. I DO have a problem with the unnecessary or underwhelming aspects forced in, like an obviously studio mandated relationship side plot.

Speaking of underwhelming, the script has to be the technical working against this film the most. The story itself is okay for the most part, but it’s just presented in such a boring and predictable way. It’s a sports biopic, so you can expect the humble beginning, the hard ass but caring mentor, the rise then fall then rise again that can be found across most of these kinds of films. The framework isn’t really used in a very insightful or interesting way, which doesn’t make the film outright bad, but it doesn’t make it that spectacular either. The writing varies from fine to annoying for the most part. It often commits that really egregious sin where they have to over explain what’s happening. Like Jann will be playing Gran Tursimo and we can see everything happening on screen but we gotta have some Melvin over his shoulder explaining out loud how he needs to hurry up to win the race. This happens so many times, from Jann’s coach in his headset to commentators. This is such a pet peeve of mine in big blockbusters. They think they can get around the “show, don’t tell” rule by just doing both at the same time. Sorry, but it still sucks. And some of this dialogue? “Noob”? “You mad bro?”? I get this takes place in the early to mid 2010s, but maybe this might not be that great of a reflection of the time period as you may think.

But look, I don’t hate this film as much as you think, so let’s talk about some positives. Truth be told, this film did not have me in the first half. It’s cliche, uninteresting and unengaging, but once we finally get into the driver’s seat and the stakes begin to feel real, I’ll admit I was hooked. The film seems to wake up and start delivering on engrossing racing scenes and even a few halfway decent emotional moments. That crash I mentioned earlier is still questionable, but I won’t lie that the way it’s presented is pretty stellar. From a technical standpoint, I think the film succeeds through its high octane moments. The film does a pretty good job at capturing both the manic speed and the claustrophobia that comes from being strapped into the cockpit. The races incorporate a blend of CGI and well-crafted tracking shots utilizing car mounts and drones that always felt seamless and believable to me. Oh yeah, and in case you forgot this was a film about a video game, the movie does incorporate HUDs, direction lines and more from the games to show just how technically attuned our main character is. It’s a nice touch that doesn’t feel too gimmicky thanks to its sporadic but intentional use. Additionally, despite being over two hours, I thought this film flew by pretty quick and I can’t remember being too bored throughout.

As for the performances, I think they’re good; not always great. Archie Madekwe, who you may remember as the guy who got turned into a human butterfly in Midsommar, does a pretty great job as star simulator driver Jann. He convincingly captures a lot of the frustration, panic, and determination the real Jann must have experienced, making him a pretty solid character worth rooting for. David Harbour plays Jann’s coach and trainer Jack Salter, a retired racer who’s not too keen on letting gamers get behind the wheel of expensive death machines. I liked him enough here, even if at times I thought his performance felt a bit restrained. He always seems ready to pop off, but I never really got the intensity I was hoping for. Yet his snarky attitude is still fun enough to make me enjoy his performance. Djimon Hounsou gives an understated but great performance as Jann’s dad Steve, who I wish we could have gotten more of. We don’t get to see this father/son dynamic get fleshed out in a fairly interesting way, but when he’s on screen he definitely delivers. The only other performance I wanted to mention is Orlando Bloom as GT Academy founder Danny Moore, who overall is just fine, but I did catch him doing some bizarre mannerisms and expressions from time to time. Kind of looks like he still carries some cookiness from his days on set with Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow.

Even if this film isn’t as dead centered on the video game that inspired it, I’d still reckon it’s one of the best this struggling genre has to offer. The racing scenes capture the chaos of the sport, while the performances and story create a simple to digest experience that didn’t exactly blow me away, but pleasantly surprised me nonetheless. If you can block out the heavy use of brand logos every five seconds, you might be able to see a fairly fun movie underneath. I think we should follow this story’s idea and start finding other games we can utilize this way. Imagine the best kid in Call of Duty getting shipped overseas to fight in the Middle East. It’d be like a modern day Ender’s Game, but probably way funnier.

Rating

Champagne at the Podium

They say champagne is reserved for the winners on the podium. Well damn, I must be winning all the time because I do enjoy a little bit of the bubbly every now and then. Champagne is synonymous with victory, especially in racing where a shower of it is all but expected. This particular cocktail utilizes champagne along with the light flavors of coconut and elderflower to create a refreshing yet slightly dry experience. To make it truly unique and close to the colors of the Nissan racing team, we are also going to employ a float of red wine on top.

Ingredients

• 1oz gin
• 1/2oz elderflower liqueur
• 1/2oz lemon juice
• 1/2oz simple syrup
• 2oz coconut water
• Top: champagne (chilled)
• Float: ~1/2oz red wine

Instructions

1. Add the gin, elderflower, lemon juice, syrup, and coconut water to a shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain into a chilled champagne flute
3. Top with champagne, leaving a little room at the top.
4. Carefully float the red wine over the back of a spoon to create a red layer on top of the cocktail.