Down and Derby

This movies was one of the great movies about scouting that has come out in a long time. It was clean, funny, and can be related to by all levels of scouts and adults alike. Observant scouts and adult leaders will recognize the approximate 4 to 5 errors in the film dealing with the uniforms. Overlook those errors and you have a great family movie. You may choose to show the movie to your district or council. In that case, use the movie as a test to see who is paying attention to find those errors and give a prize the scout with the most errors found. I was heartbroken to see that it was in the theaters for only one week. Maybe if it was released it in January in time for the Pinewood Derby races, and publicized it a little, it probably would have had a better turn out. I can hardly wait until it comes out on VHS or DVD so I may buy a copy. As a Cubmaster, I am willing to help my district and/or council in showing it to the Cub Scouts.

Well, let's see. Men are stupid, living vicariously thru their sons and would rather pursue their hobby than enrich their marriage and family life; all married women have large breasts and shallow minds, Japanese men are even more stupid and shallow than their American counterparts.

yup, these are ideas that we want in the heads of America's boys and young men...It's appropriate that I write this review on Thanksgiving...what a turkey this movie is! It was and should be an embarrassment to the American Film industry. The Boy Scouts of America should put as much distance as possible between themselves and this sinfully bad movie.

As far as the "satire" and "parody" comments, those remind me of the tired old line "I don't know what you're talking about" when the murderer is uncovered (It's obvious he does). In other words, they call it a satire because deep down they know how BAD their work is. (See "Charlie's Angels", Eddie Murphy in "Harlem Nights", etc.)

It's a good idea for a story but there is not enough substance to it. The movie becomes predictable after the first twenty minutes. The film would be better served if it cultivated other family life issues along with the derby. When winning the Derby is the only thing this whole movie is about than the entertainment value is compromised. My son and I just won our local event, so I do know about what it is like to have that male fixation to build and race your own car. Nonetheless when I tried watching the movie with my son the other day he was utterly bored. The acting is also pretty sad. The only redeeming quality of this feature is Lauren Holly in a sun dress....enough said!

If you have any experience with the pinewood derby you will love this cleverly written film about the extremes some father's go to to win. Having participated in several pinewood derby's as a young Boy Scout, I loved the idea of this film. It spoofs the all too common tendency of a father to take the building and racing of their "son's" derby cars way too seriously. The competition becomes more between the fathers than the sons. The gags are clever. The spoofs, while exaggerated as they need to be for comedy, are all too real. Take the time to watch this film when you'd like to enjoy a good laugh, not to mention, a good message about putting your family first.

I'm beginning to get it now. If a movie is family-friendly, critics and armchair critics walk in with a prejudice. I'm glad I didn't hear any negative reviews before seeing this because I thought it was a very well-constructed comedy, and quite frankly, I was laughing my head-off. But this wasn't simply a series of gags. While it has it's many knock-you-in-the-face comedic moments, it also employs subtlety. This is the genre of comedy that Steve Martin used in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and "Cheaper by the Dozen II" where good and upstanding characters gradually descend into immaturity and loss of self-control in their pursuit of a (usually stupid) goal, all the while showing the audience how these ridiculous choices can seem reasonable to the unfortunate but lovable characters. Greg Germann was truly excellent in his lead role as Phil Davis. I usually don't want to see a movie a second time, but this one is different. Had "Down and Derby" added expletives, off-color jokes, and a little nudity to earn it a PG-13 or R rating, I suspect the reviews would be much more favorable. But, alas, it is good clean humor for the whole family. If you don't require expletives and sexual innuendo to laugh, then see this movie.