NoFace for Film

Title: Cars
Year: 2006
Director: John Lasseter
Voices: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman
Rated: G

NoFace for Film rating: 4.5 out of 7

You know, I really, really wanted to give this film a higher rating than a 4.5. I really did. But as much as I enjoyed Cars, I couldn’t help thinking the whole time that I’ve seen this movie before, when it was called Doc Hollywood. An improved version of the 1991 Michael J. Fox comedy, but nevertheless, it’s the same plot. It’s disappointing to find that in a film created by the company that gave us Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles.

Cars takes place in a cool fantasy world where cars and other vehicles are alive. Lightning McQueen (voiced by Wilson) is a young, hotshot racecar whose dream is to be the first rookie to win the coveted Piston Cup. Not surprisingly, McQueen is arrogant, selfish, and condescending to others. He thinks he doesn’t need anyone else to help him. At one point his exasparated pit crew quits because they could no longer take his verbal abuse.

After the latest race results in a three-way tie between McQueen, the equally obnoxious but dastardly Chick Hicks (voiced by Michael Keaton), and veteran racer “The King” (voiced by NASCAR legend Richard Petty, who actually voices his own light blue 1970 Plymouth Superbird in the movie), a special race will be held in California. Eager to beat Chick to California, McQueen forces his trailer Mack (voiced by John Ratzenberger) to drive there without resting.

This of course, leads to some bad consequences as McQueen gets lost and finds himself in a small, dusty town off Route 66 called Radiator Springs, headed by Doc Hudson (voiced by Newman), who serves as both the town’s doctor and judge. McQueen accidentally destroys some property and is sentenced by Doc to community service. Naturally, McQueen is at first angry and resentful of his situation, but over time as he gets to know the townsfolk, they start growing on him, especially Sally (voiced by Bonnie Hunt), a lovely but outspoken Porsche 911.

Now, visit this IMDB entry for Doc Hollywood and tell me if the plots don’t sound similar.

I’m somewhat disappointed that Pixar chose to recycle the plot from some old comedy for the story of Cars. I just can’t imagine that this was just a coincidence. Surely the writers were at least influenced by Doc Hollywood, since the plots are nearly identical.

I am also kind of disappointed that Pixar used stereotypes in some of their characterizations of the cars. The colorful lowrider is voiced by Cheech Marin and speaks in a heavy Mexican accent. The two Italian cars who run the tire shop are named Luigi and Guido, the most stereotypical Italian names out there. The 1960 VW Bus (voiced by George Carlin) is a hippie and speaks in a hippie “accent”, while the 1942 Army jeep speaks like a grizzled sargeant. I would expect such stereotypes from lesser cartoons, not in a Pixar film.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed Cars. It’s still a beautifully made film. The opening scene of the race is awesome. The feel of speed is quite realistic- you feel like you’re right there racing with the cars. But what’s even better are the nature scenes later in the film. There’s a shot of a tree which looked so real that I couldn’t believe it was created by a computer. The scenes of the waterfall are also awe-inspiring.

The movie is also pretty damn funny. There are some jokes that only adults will understand (I know of at least two), but most are for all audiences.

I also enjoyed the little extra things in the movie that you don’t really notice unless you pay attention, like the VW Beetles that are little tiny well, beetles- flying around and such. Clever!

Also, make sure you stay during the credits for a little treat.

Overall, I’d still recommend Cars for viewing. Most likely, your kids have never seen Doc Hollywood so they’ll still appreciate this story. For you adults, you can still appreciate it for its humor and its beauty.

Disney, Pixar, Cars, Doc Hollywood