NASCAR on TV this week

Reel Racing: What Makes a Good Racing (or Other Sports) Movie?

Ever wonder why some racing and other sports movies resonate so well while others miss the mark?

This topic struck me as I recorded an episode for my podcast last night, where a friend and I discussed Field of Dreams, which I consider to be one of the best sports movies ever made.

It brought to mind elements of production, storytelling and performances that make movies, specifically sports films, work.

Let’s approach this through the framework of Field of Dreams.

See also
Reel Racing: The Short List of Motorsports Short Films

That film works because it takes itself seriously and knows exactly what it is. It doesn’t add frills — Ray’s wife is completely bought into the idea of the “voice” and the baseball field being what needs to be built, all at the risk of the farm.

We don’t have the conflict that might normally come between the couple in a true-to-life situation: she’s on board with it, though eventually apprehensive and then is back on board when she and Ray realize they have the exact same dream.

There’s a fine line between having no conflict, as such being a very conflict-less movie to the point it feels superfluous, and being too convoluted and filled with drama. I think a lot of sports movies strike this balance to the correct degree — maybe a little much in one direction or the other — to the point where it satisfies all three types of its viewers: those familiar with the sport or true story it’s depicting, those completely disinterested in the sport and those that are watching it for the story as much as for the sporting aspect.

A few good examples in racing movies:

Days of Thunder, for as much crap as it sometimes gets and as an ardent defender of the movie myself, does this very well. We get conflict on a few different levels: Cole Trickle and Rowdy Burns, a relatively friendly rivalry; Cole and Russ Wheeler, a not-so-friendly rivalry and Cole himself adjusting to NASCAR and the like.

A lot of that balance is due to Tony Scott, one of the greatest directors of Americana movies (despite being British), and his talent behind the camera.

Other movies aren’t quite as adept at this balance and get bogged down in their own storytelling. Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia, which came out earlier this year, is a perfect example of this. Rally movies should be inherently exciting. This is a racing discipline with constant challenges, changing environments and a crucial tandem of driver and navigator working together to achieve the best time possible.

Thus, there could be in-car conflict, a ticking clock element, unexpected weather, you name it, factoring into the outcome (though I know this is based on a true story).

Instead, we get a horrendously boring and dull movie that never feels like it really goes anywhere, and this supposed “vs.” from the title isn’t anywhere near as dramatic as it should be.

Back on the “good” end of this spectrum, Rush is another perfect example, and a higher-quality one at that. Historical accuracy is key, as is the deft directorial hand of Ron Howard and the fiery performances from Chris Hemsworth (who’s truly phenomenal in Furiosa, if you haven’t seen that yet) and Daniel Bruhl.

See also
The Pit Straight: Fresh Air in F1 & Uncharted Waters in IndyCar

We have dramatic scenes of tension between the two drivers, well-executed racing scenes and an overarching rivalry that works — no frills, just this rivalry and those around them.

Sports movies work best when they’re relatively uncomplicated outside of the story they’re telling. There’s no need to over-clutter what’s already a solid premise.

We’ll put our documentation of movie-themed paint schemes off for another week. I’m making sure I cover every base I can.

Follow @adamncheek

Adam Cheek joined Frontstretch as a contributing writer in January 2019. A 2020 graduate of VCU, he covered sports there and later spent a year and a half as a sports host on 910 the Fan in Richmond, VA. He's freelanced for Richmond Magazine and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and also hosts the "Adam Cheek's Sports Week" podcast. Adam has followed racing since the age of three, inheriting the passion from his grandfather, who raced in amateur events up and down the East Coast in the 1950s.

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.


1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Deacon Blues

Great films discussed here, especially Field of Dreams and Days of Thunder! Thanks, as always, Adam for your enlightening and entertaining Reel Racing work!