O.K. Garage

"All Revved Up" is a very ironic title for this, because if this movie was any slower, it would be moving backwards. It is a classic example of good actors and actresses in very bad parts. The characters have the energy of zombies, but seemingly without the intellect or sense of purpose. It has one brief action scene somewhere near the end, but the "zombies" actually turn out to have little to do with the action.

And don't let the cover fool you. It has little to nothing to do with the movie. I don't recall seeing either of those cars in the entire movie. In fact, the car most seen is a broken down Honda. There is absolutely nothing exciting about this movie.

After viewing OK Garage, I had to check if there was a connection with the Seinfeld TV show. I don't see anyone connected with the show involved with this film. Yet you could really describe this as "the one where Elaine's mechanic rips her off." The setting is in NYC, there is a cast of goofy, flawed friends, odd characters on the sidelines. Together they roll towards a conclusion in the plot, while all along the way bizarre things keep happening that have nothing to do with that general direction. An odd neighbor luridly comments to Turturro's character about his new "girlfriend" and he vindictively makes up a bizarre story of cancer and purple lumps in her armpits to ward off further inquiry. The thing that makes this not a feature length Seinfeld episode is that someone gets brutally murdered. But you could say that Johnny (played by Turturro) is Seinfeld and Kramer wrapped up in one character. He tries to be dependable and stable, but has quirks with women, very much like Jerry S. The nutty Sean in a trench coat could be a really weird take on George. And then there is the quirky, sort of sexy lady in distress, just like Elaine. I think some reviewers don't like the fact that this is sort of a story about nothing. There is little character development for the main actors, and none for those on the fringe. For the mains, you hardly get to see where they work. There is almost a whimsical quality to the treatment given to those on the sidelines. But if you accept these as aspects that might have been intentional and not a result of poor film-making, I think you will find the movie to be very watchable. Almost like watching Jerry and Elaine develop their relationship, which happens in the back story to the show.

A great character study, low-key, and surprisingly funny and sweet. John Turturro and Will Patton are excellent. Gemma Jones, who plays Will's character's mother, is also very good, as is Lili Taylor. But it's the sum of their performances that makes this movie worth watching.

Ok, This is not a great movie. It's not even a good movie. Quirky, slow, lackluster and uneven. However, there is a reason why Will Patton won best actor award at the Newport Film Festival for his portrayal of Sean. He did an incredible job as this slightly crazy character who is sane enough to know something is very wrong with him. It is worth seeing this movie just to take a gander at Patton's performance.

Firstly, this movie came to me in a DVD compilation pack of 10 movies, categorized as a comedy collection. Now, you would have to be drawing a long bow to think of this movie as a comedy, although there are one... or maybe two funny parts. Despite this, I think the movie was O.K. .... get it! .... O.K. Garage .... O.K. .... Awwww...never mind! lol

I have to admit that I did not have the DVD cover and a title "All Revved Up" to give any false "Fast and Furious" expectations, as commented by others. However, what I did find was indeed a quirky, offbeat, romantic type drama, which to me rings true. Having worked in the automotive repair industry when I was younger, similar type behavior and meeting some quirky people was not uncommon in some workshops and this movie has helped me relive some suppressed nightmares.

The movie itself is no blockbuster with crazy car chases and huge explosions or lashings of CGI, but what it does give is a relatively accurate representation of what could be real life situations in the daily grind of life, with everyone playing their parts really well. While the only character I didn't like was Louis (Richard Bright), I felt the character was a little over the top and not quite believable, but necessary I suppose for his part in the story.

All in all not a movie for everyone maybe, but worth a look.

I think it is O.K. (-;