The Art of Racing in the Rain

The film’s name symbolises not only the main character’s fondness for racing on slippery roads, but also the life of anyone who’s unpredictable and full of uncertainties – it’s a pity that they failed to impress that into the story itself, which, from a certain early moment on becomes awfully predictable. That wouldn’t be much of a problem if the film didn’t blatantly convince the viewer that it would be different and original. The look into Enzo’s head is great, Kevin Costner’s rascal gives an almost contemplative insight through retrospective memories, while Denny’s relationship with his smart hairy friend, spiced by their shared passion for racing, develops in a very promising and interesting way. But then come the mandatory family twists, of which at least one is interesting, and the narration starts to devolve into emotional statements that feel very contrived. Besides, since we can’t expect anything very original or surprising from the human characters, the story as a whole becomes like an artificial backstage for an otherwise nice chat with the viewer. But it’s far from a bad or sloppy film, it’s one that remains on safe ground, but the pandering and cuteness is delivered too expertly and deliberately for it not to win you over, at least partially. A proper cliché served with iron-clad confidence and with a certain captivating eloquence that in the end leads us, though in a rather tortuous and tedious way, to a pleasant catharsis underlined by a Creedence Clearwater Revival song and the reflection on Amanda Seyfried’s eyes, and accompanied by the questionable realisation that getting a devoted dog on a whim is not a very bad idea at all… Marley & Me has a solid competitor, though Enzo runs out of gas soon after the starting line. 65% (19.09.2020)