Boat Racing Movie Wins with Sports Fans and Family-Friendly Audiences
by Jenni Parker
May 3, 2005
(AgapePress) - For boxing, it was Rocky. For football, there was Rudy. Even basketball had its Hoosiers and hockey had its Miracle. And, of course, baseball had its Field of Dreams, Pride of the Yankees, A League of Their Own, and The Rookie. But who would have thought the sport of hydroplane boat racing would ever inspire a feel-good movie equally delighting to sports lovers and the entire family?Madison (MGM Pictures, Rated PG) is a newly released film that combines the thrills of 180-mph flat-bottomed boat racing with a heartwarming portrait of small-town family life in a tiny, Ohio River town in the 1970s. Jim Caviezel, well-known to many for his portrayal of Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, stars here as Jim McCormick, a down-to-earth, blue-collar dad who loves his wife and son, his hometown, and hydroplane racing.
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William Bindley, the co-writer and director of Madison, says it was a pleasure to work with Caviezel, an actor the filmmaker describes as "timeless as the true story which inspired the film." The movie's all-star cast also includes Mary McCormack (Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star) and veteran actors Bruce Dern (Silent Running, All the Pretty Horses) and Paul Dooley (Breaking Away, Runaway Bride).
The Story of a Town, a Race, and a Family
The film opens in 1971, a time when the town of Madison (Indiana) is in decline. In what was once a booming port, factories are now closing down, longtime residents are moving away to seek work in the big cities, and the dying town struggles to support its remnant populace, even as local shop owner Jim McCormack struggles to hold onto the way of life he loves. His friends keep moving away, and his wife is trying to nudge him in the same direction; but Jim is determined to raise his son here and show him what's special about the place where they live.
One of those things is the Madison Regatta, a hydroplane racing event that had been held annually in the town since 1950. Long ago Jim used to pilot the town's jointly owned boat, the Miss Madison, but he retired from racing after being injured in a devastating accident a decade earlier, in which he lost someone close to him.
Though he cannot bring himself to race anymore, Jim is a member of the crew that helps ready the boat to compete in the various races leading up to the Regatta. He and the other locals on the Miss Madison team go head-to-head with high-powered, big-moneyed, corporately sponsored professionals -- and often the small-town volunteers and their patched-up boat have only pride and perseverance to keep them afloat.
Spirits sink again and again, as racing profiteers try to edge the small town out of its bid to host the Regatta, the Miss Madison loses its driver, and engine trouble and lack of funds scuttle the town's hopes. Somehow Jim has to find a way to inspire his teammates and his community with a dream of an all-or-nothing shot at greatness in the big race. And in the process, he has to overcome a personal tragedy that left his self-confidence scarred.
Heartland Heart and Functional Family Values
Boating drama aside, one of the best things about Madison is the family dynamic that is central to the film. Jim and his wife are partners in their home and in raising their son, and there are many touching and humorous moments among all three. But when conflict arises over their family's future, it is with gentle and fatherly firmness that Jim puts his anchor down. And although his wife Bonnie (Mary McCormack) raises serious objections and concerns, her love and support are never in doubt. Likewise sure is the love and pride between the father and son, though young Mike (Jake Lloyd) at times needs to be reminded of what is most admirable about his father.
It is this fabric of family love that provides Madison with its nostalgic innocence and rescues it from being just a story about a boat race. The nostalgia comes primarily from Jim's vantage -- his love for the town and his abiding commitment to all it represents create a sweet sense of important, and perhaps fleeting value. Meanwhile, events that unfold from Mike's point of view are suffused with a childlike wonder and grandeur. Through the eyes of the young boy, the river, the race, the town, the past, the wordless exchanges between his mother and father are all equally mysterious and special.
Madison has a PG rating due to mild language and "sports peril." But overall it is a safe, family-friendly film that celebrates the heart and soul of middle America and the family and community at their best. Al Huntington, mayor of the real-life city of Madison, says the movie "captures the charm and beauty of our historic town and its people," and he adds, "I know audiences will love this wonderful family story."
But lest a reviewer with a penchant for tender, tear-jerking dramas and "chick flicks" -- not to mention an almost negative sports I.Q. -- should deter any rough and ready sports fans, this testimony is offered from American Power Boat Racing Association president R. Steven Hearn. "Madison is a thrill," he says. "The APBA is excited about the release of this movie!"
