My 16-year-old son and I buckled in for this tire melting tour de force not knowing exactly what to expect. A child of the 80s, I knew the schtick of the Reynolds/DeLuise flick, but never knew much of the real story. That all changed in just a skosh over an hour and a half as a compelling story of the Secret Race unfolded. A child of the modern age, but lover of old cars, my son instantly went full-throttle with enthusiasm. His eyes popped with joy as legendary cars of the past rev'd and he glowed with wishful and wistful growls of what could have been if he would have been around to experience it in person. So fun.
Weaving past and present as deftly as Alex Roy and David Maher through traffic-laden interstates, Musial, Welles, and Spinelli craft a story that stirs the soul of those who love great stories, great cars, and great human attempts to find out what's achievable...what's alive and living just beyond the horizon.
The story isn't about Roy, per se, but he takes center stage in a compelling way, but without robbing the oxygen needed to fuel the staggering pace of the racing and storytelling. Watching the grainy videos and gritty ghosts of the 70s doing the unthinkable and watching Roy poring over spreadsheets, maps, and mechanisms that seem ancient by today's standards, reminds us how far we've come while simultaneously reminding us that we must not take our eyes off of where we must keep going.
If that last sentence seems hyperbolic, it is...and that's the point. Living in the comfort of the know is antithetical to the ambitions, actions, and accomplishments that are stirred to life when you have a wanderlust for what others are impassioned to dream about, but intimidated to chase. Roy had the passion and was ridiculously unencumbered by intimidation. Well done, Alex.
In this cinematic journey, there are two starting lines, two finish lines, and two teams separated by decades of desiccated inactivity. As the final credits roll, you realize, embrace, and perhaps even idolize the efforts of noble rule-breakers, past, present, and future. Sure, on some level it's just a car movie. But, if you dare to join the race, you'll find that you too have hidden goals, dreams, and ambitions that call out for you to rally your team, build your path, and haul down the road towards the finish line. In the end, it's no secret: let's race.
