Gran Turismo (2023)
The idea of Grand Turismo giving players legit race training isn’t too far-fetched. After all, Air Force pilots train with flight simulators.
I’ve never played Gran Turismo myself, but I watched my husband play it and later my son. After an hour or so of seeing cars race around and crash into anything and everything while the same two hip-hop songs pulse in the background, it’s not hard for the eyes to glaze over and the jaw to slacken.
Ergo, I went into Gran Turismo with few to low expectations beyond hoping Orlando Bloom would talk in his real accent (He does).
The film is a pleasant surprise overall, following the story of college dropout Jann Mardenborough, who would rather play Gran Turismo than do anything else. It also follows the story of Danny Moore, who has a dream of turning Gran Turismo players into real-life race car drivers. And finally there’s Jack Salter, a former race car driver turned mechanic who spends his days fixing cars for bored rich guys like Nick Capa, flashy drivers who have more attitude than talent.
Everyone converges when Jack agrees to teach at Danny’s new GT Academy, the object of which is to turn out the next big racing star and Nissan spokesman. It’s not a huge shock who comes out on top, but it’s anyone’s guess how many tantrums Nick will throw as he sees GT’s new star nipping at his guilded heels.
Gran Turismo’s rhythm is very rat-a-tat, with Jann imagining himself on a real racetrack and the film styling itself as a video game at key moments, showing player rankings and other trappings of the game. It’s at once appropriate to the story and product placement. The plot doesn’t so much arc as level up, which feels episodic and sometimes a little disorienting. It’s pretty easy to forget these characters have lives outside of the racetrack.
One thing that surprised me is how much these characters work out in between races. It’s like boot camp, and it makes sense because racing seems very physically demanding and not for the faint of heart. Not everyone can get behind the wheel of a race car, that’s for sure.
The casting in this movie is great, particularly David Harbour, whose sardonic delivery is the highlight of the film. His character is so sick of dealing with egotistical twirps that he’s not about to take it from anyone else, but he’s got a softer side to him as well. Jack’s partnership with Jann is like Yoda to Luke Skywalker set to a Kenny G album. It makes more sense after the movie’s over.
Orlando Bloom also gives a decent turn, but his Danny is mainly a bird-dog whose character arc involves him learning to be a bit less corporate and more compassionate. He can be a pain in the neck, but he’ll get a clue sooner or later.
Tragically underutilized, however, is Djimon Housou, who puts in a beautiful performance as Jann’s father and who unfortunately spends most of the movie on the sidelines. The moments he’s onscreen, though, are to be savored, so it’s not a total loss.
While Gran Turismo is based on a true story, and it likes to remind us of that pertinent detail, it’s highly fictionalized and a little too long for what it is. I think that’s why I was left feeling slightly blah about the whole thing although I had fun. There are so many times the film can take us around the track before the eyes glaze and the jaw slackens. It’s a popcorn flick, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but the buzz doesn’t last.
Gran Turismo is currently in theaters. Rated PG-13.
My grade: B-
Principal Cast: David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe, Takehiro Hira, Darren Barnet, Geri Horner, Djimon Housou, Josha Stradowski, Daniel Puig, Maeve Courtier-Lilly, Pepe Barroso, Niall McShea, Nikhil Parmar, Thomas Kretschmann
Directed by Neill Blomkamp.
Written by Jason Hall, Zack Baylin, and Alex Tse.