Madison

I just saw this film at Sundance 2001.

A feel good movie that's honest. The treatment is respectful and moving. The acting is very good, production value is very good. Good casting. It really captures the essence of the struggles of life along the Ohio in the middle of the 20th Century.

I look forward to seeing it again during the theatrical release.

I'd like to first address the folks who haven't seen the film and are unfamiliar with it, or its topic...

This sleeper film, as noted, is based around the true story of an under-dog hometown racing boat team that tried to win the "big one" against long odds in front of their home crowd. But the boat, the effort required to make the race happen, and the race itself is really secondary to the relationship between a 10 year-old son (Jake Lloyd) and his father (Jim Caviezel) as the demands of work, family, the sense of civic duty and the boat begin to pull the relationship, as well as his marriage, apart under a great deal of stress.

Some have criticized this film as a formula driven "feel-good" sports film, and I suppose that this is true to a point. However, the acting is very believable and heart-felt. In fact, I think the emotion that Lloyd exhibits in the film is far superior to the rather wooden appearance he later made in Star Wars as young Anakin. Caviezel also does a great job as Jim McCormick, the father and husband who finds himself thrown into situations not necessarily of his choosing.

The cinematography definitely conceals the low-budget nature of the film. Filmed in the "where it really happened" location of Madison, Indiana, "Madison" definitely shows off this visual gem on the Ohio River as well as its surrounding country side and wide vistas of the river valley.

The film was shot and then set on a shelf for about five years. I was tickled to see that it at least was allowed distribution to the general public via DVD.

This film will fill an evening of family entertainment and allow you to see a fine performance from two actors before they went on to add their talents to two block busters: The Passion, and The Phantom Menace.

OK, part two... This is for the fans of the sport featured in this film that have been critical of the way things are portrayed in the movie. Two words: Lighten Up. I've been a sporadic fan of the Hydros, my in-laws are from the Madison area, and I had the fortune to be at the 1971 Madison "Gold Cup" race (granted I was seven at the time) and remember the hoopla surrounding the race (I also still have my admission badge). Despite all of the carping about the dramatic license taken with the story line, the fact remains that the core of the film is true. People looking for a documentary on the Miss Madison of 1971 should look elsewhere.

This film is hardly the first non-fiction related sports event that has been "re-worked" for the big screen. Take a look at any informed fan's review of their favorite past-time as presented in the cinema and you'll find plenty of the same: "XYZ batted left-handed, but was a 'righty' in the film", "They didn't really play XYZ in the final game", "They got the score wrong", "The fuel those race cars use burns flameless", "They spliced footage from different locations together during the scenes of the game", "They didn't use that type of equipment back then", etc., etc., etc. Here's a newsflash people: Movie-goers that aren't passionate about your favorite sport don't care. That's right, read that again... "They don't care." They want good "entertainment". Sure it's nice if all the facts are dramatic enough to make it to the screen, but don't be surprised if you see a "blow-out" turned into a "nail-biter", or a plot twist or two thrown in for effect. Don't get all bent out of shape and let it ruin your enjoyment of the film. People aren't going to think "Madison" is a fraud if they learn, among other things, that a P-51 was never parked in the courthouse square in Columbus in 1971. Nor to they care what the APBA calendar looked like that year.

At least the plot and acting in "Madison" are great. My number one sports passion is open-wheel Champcar racing and when "Driven" came out, not only was the film full of technical inaccuracies and impossibilities, the plot and acting stunk. Now THAT was an embarrassment to that form of racing! Finally, considering that Jim McCormick's son, his widow, and many others were more than happy with the treatment that "Madison" gave to the U-6 of 1971. If they are OK with it, then why can't you be too? If nothing else, it gives people a peak into the world of something they might never have heard of before: unlimited hydroplane racing. It might actually be good for the sport… For example, I now have a pretty good idea where I'll be come next 4th of July weekend. Sitting on the banks of the Ohio, eating one of my mother in-law's ham salad sandwiches, while watching the hydros pass under the Madison-Milton bridge sounds pretty good right now!

I was waiting to see this movie since I heard about it, in Madison. I was a bit disappointed at how hokey it is, but at lease I can enjoy the scenery. You sure get to know the 421 bridge *G* and I loved seeing those riverfront scenes because I've been there many times.

I am in Madison on the first week of April most years, for a hot pepper festival at the Thomas Family Winery. I love these old Ohio River towns.

In the lodge at Clifty Falls State Park (on the west edge of town), they have another Miss Madison on display, a much smaller boat, I think from the 1940s or 1950s, with a Crosley engine.

Oh, one other thing - when the father and son go into the cavern, that's an unfinished railroad tunnel in the Clifty park, you can walk through it. Bring a lantern, you'll look funny walking the trail with it in the daytime, but it will be handy in the tunnel...

Being an unlimited hydroplane "nut" (I grew up on the sport and lived only 12 miles away from the Seattle racecourse) I've been excited about this movie's release, since I first heard about it as far back as 1999 when I was at the General Motors Cup at Seafair race. Needless to say, I've waited nearly 6 years for the movie.

The storyline to the movie was good. I liked the story about father and son's and the love of the sport. It's easy to tell, that unlimited hydroplane racing is in their blood. I especially liked Jake Lloyd's character, Mike McCormick, because in some ways, it reminded me of my childhood. Except I used to race wooden hydroplanes with my friends on my parent's lawn and I had hydro pictures and posters on my wall.

I Also liked the story of how the city of Madison, Indiana's struggle to host the American Powerboat Association (APBA), Gold Cup. For those unfamiliar with the sport, the Gold Cup is the oldest motor sports trophy and is one of the most coveted races every hydro team wants to win.

What disappointed me about the movie was, I sort of felt that Hollywood was trying to alter hydroplane history and facts. Here's 's some of them.

• The All red paint scheme of the Miss Budweiser, was not used by owner Bernie Little and the race team until 1994.

-The second race on the circuit was in Chicago. There was no race there.

If they wanted to show another race site in a big city, why didn't they use Detroit? It was the 3rd race on the circuit that year and it has a longtime history in the sport. It seems like they insulted Detroit; I can see many longtime Detroit hydro race fans are insulted over this.

-Seattle was the 3rd race site. I assume they wanted to show Seattle, since it has a longtime history in the sport, like Detroit, but they moved it up about a month early, when it usually follows Madison and the date has traditionally been on the first weekend of August.

-The "us vs them" attitude in the movie or "David vs Goliath". Although it is very true that there are many rivalries in the sport and it looks good in the storyline, it seems seldom that you see this attitude all the time as was depicted.

Many times I've seen when one race team is in trouble, especially the smaller race "camps" ones like the Miss Madison, I've seen many competing race teams help each other out, by sending their pit crew members to the troubled race camp, or loaning them parts for their boat, so they can race. Miss Budweiser owner, the late, Bernie Little for example, has done this over the years because he has said, it is important to have those boats out on the racecourse competing. I'm not saying that what you saw in the movie doesn't happen, but to me, it's very rare.

That being said, when I look at the movie overall, I liked it, despite it's faults. It had many good qualities, like the father/son storyline and the city and race team's struggles, like I mentioned. This will be a good movie for the hydro fan as well as a ports fan. I'll buy the DVD when it comes out.

On a final note, here's a little trivia from the movie:

-The driver of the miss Budweiser at the time was actually, the late Dean Chenoweth (His surviving family probably didn't give their consent to use his name).

-The original Miss Madison from that time, couldn't be repaired and restored in time for the movie. Instead, The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum put together a replica of that Miss Madison, using the Savair's Mist hull in her place. The boat has affectionately been referred to as the "Mist Madison".

-The Atlas van Lines, was actually, the Pay 'n Pak's 'Lil Buzzard.

This is a heartwarming, true story with a great performance by Jim Caviezel. It puts the small town of Madison, Ind., an historic town along the Ohio River in its best light. However, this film's release has been delayed for a variety of reasons including the ongoing problems with the Premiere Marketing and Distribution Group, which was charged with promoting this fine movie. There are shades of Mayberry in the message of this movie. And, if you lived or been to Madison you'll love the wonderful scenery. It's well worth seeing. Bill Bindley does a fine job directing. However, if there are four or five good movies out there to see, this one probably wouldn't be at the top of list. I hope this movie comes out as currently scheduled at the end of January. The people of Madison deserve to see their hard work -- as well as the cast, crew and actors -- finally get the wide distribution it deserves. Sundance and the Heartland Film Festival acclaims are nice, but this movie is solid entertainment that the general public should have an opportunity to see.