Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman (2015)

**** (out of 4)

Robert Redford, Robert Wagner, Michael and Mario Andretti, Jay Leno, John Morton and countless others are interviewed about the racing career of Paul Newman. Many people seem to forget that the Oscar- winning actor preferred being on the race track over being in front of the camera and this documentary shows how he got into doing it and the various races that he was in.

I was really surprised at how wonderful this documentary is for a number of reasons. For starters, there really hasn't been any good documentaries on Newman so it was rather refreshing getting to hear about his love for racing and how he got into it during the training for his film WINNING. We get to hear from Robert Wagner and how the training just hit it and we also hear from Newman's friend Redford about what he was like when it came to racing. We also get archival interviews with Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward.

Some of the best interviews come from Newman's racing buddies and partners and they give a terrific look at what the actor was like away from the cameras. The documentary also covers other subjects including Newman understanding the risk of dying, the various issues caused by the paparazzi who came to races to film the star and his involvement in the movie CARS, which would turn out to be his final feature.

WINNING: THE RACING LIFE OF PAUL NEWMAN is going to appear to racing fans as well as Newman's fans. It's an extremely interesting documentary and a highly entertaining one.

Paul Newman, known and beloved as a Movie Star, was yet humble and as "down to earth" as anyone in that strata can be. Yet he discovered relatively late in life a passion for driving and racing cars. At an age when most all top drivers are retired, he began. Instant miraculous success did not happen, and his beginning was the slow laborious process it is for non-prodigies (though aided by focus). But he had that special fuel, passion, and he used that fuel to power himself to success on large stages in the world of motorsport. This is his story. Thanks to Adam Carolla, you can share the ride, along with some great contemporaries. Highly recommended.

I have mixed feeling about this documentary. Not that it's bad . It's really good , but I wonder what Paul Newman would have gone on to do more in the film world if he hadn't got this damn racing bug .

This documentary Chronicles the 35 year car racing career of Paul Newman and showcasing Newman's racing life as both a prolific driver and owner.

When you think about it , the Great Paul Newman spent more time racing cars than making movies . He was 48 when first raced and was 82 when he finished and as they say in this film , can you imagine how good he would have been if he started twenty years earlier?

I'm glad he didn't .

This is a really informative film . I knew Newman loved racing but I never knew how good he was . He came second in the Le Mans 24 hour in treacherous conditions. Now that is impressive!

There are lots of talking heads interviews with the likes of people like Robert Redford, Robert Wagner and Patrick Dempsey alongside many people from the racing world and you really do get a glimpse of what it was like to be a movie star racing driver and how loved he was .

I still prefer to see Newman on the silver screen rather than behind the wheel but the documentary is a good watch none the less .

As per LA Times Podcast "Larger Than Life" many don't know about Pual Newman and Big Willie Robison (notorious Street Racer) but Pual Newman's brother confirmed they hung out together. Both him and his brother had Brotherhood of Street Racers vest as confirmed in the podcast.

I've always had the greatest respect for Paul Newman, who passed away in 2008, not only for his great acting skills but also for the way he conducted himself in his personal life. This documentary confirmed, if not even enhanced, those feelings.

The film, well directed by comedian, actor, and filmmaker Adam Carolla focuses on Newman's passion for driving race cars. He started driving at the late age of 48, when most drivers are retiring. Newman started slowly, learning the ropes, but progressed into a top notch race driver, winning a number of championships in the classifications he drove under. He even finished second, as part of the race team in the 1979 prestigious Le Mans 24 hour marathon race. Later in his life, Newman formed a most successful partnership with Carl Haas, as they owned cars that won over 100 races and 8 championships.

Overall, what shined through for me in this movie was not only Newman's enormous passion for racing, but his personal traits of honesty, modesty, and possessing a wonderful sense of humor, despite all the fame and notoriety that came his way from the silver screen. Additionally, along with his wife, the superb actress Joanne Woodward, they have helped so many people, over the years, through their Newman's Own Foundation and their Hole in the Wall Gang free camps for ill children.