Madison (2001)

I'll tell you why so serious

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I am a racing fan and a child of the American hot rod culture--my Dad built race-and-championship-winning auto engines for Chevy and Ford in the late Sixties and early Seventies--and I really enjoyed this movie as a chronicle of an exciting race and what a story--the small-town sponsored the boat and got the win at its own race. Beautiful. I appreciate those who have posted corrections to factual errors in the movie, but I would suggest that any race fan critical of this should step back and enjoy the show and what it got right--and it got a lot right. I particularly enjoyed seeing the one kid in an STP windbreaker. I had one, too, back then and I wore it with pride. STP meant racing and racing was my thing. Not football or baseball or anything else. And, for sure, the son of the boat racer riding his Sting-Ray with the stick-shift and high-rise bars and all--that is what kids did back then, rode their bikes and pretended they were racing. And thanks to some crazy kids and their parents and some promoters in Southern California who took it a step further, the sport of BMX was born in that era. (And if you are a fan of that, you have to see the documentary Joe Kid on a Sting-Ray, just the best.) I really enjoyed this movie--a feel-good racing movie in the same mold as The World's Fastest Indian.

This is a great, great movie. Whether or not you are a hydroplane fan, this movie inspires every small town in America that you can come together as a community to accomplish great things. Jim C. even took less $ to finish this movie and it took nearly 3 1/2 years to find the financing to release it...it was WELL worth the wait. I highly recommend buying/renting this movie, you will not be disappointed. One note that could be considered an "easter egg." If you are a hydroplane fan and watch the DVD extras, you'll notice a comment that Jim C. makes about the death of a hydroplane legend. I believe he is misquoted and was trying to say Bill Muncey. Something for them to consider the next time they release this DVD. Regardless, the movie is one of the best films I have seen in a long, long time. Perfect actors were chosen for their roles, and the setting and story are wonderful for that small town, good ole' American tale.Best,James

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...

The Bindley Brothers did a great job in creating this movie I can not wait for the movie to be released. I have seen the movie at the 2001 Heartland Film Fest. It was an unforgettable evening. Those in attendance included, Jim Caviezel, Jake Lloyd, The McCormick Family (Bonnie & Michael McCormick). I feel that the movie is a wonderful must see. I think Jim McCormick would be proud.