February 6, 2009

I am not a NASCAR fan. Probably not the best way to start a review of a DVD about NASCAR, I know, but I thought I should let you know where I'm coming from outright. I have seen quite a few races but I cannot tell you the last time I watched a race. When I was a youngster I was into racing. I built the models and had a membership to a fan club or two. My Dad used to work for Goodyear in the race tire department, so he traveled to a lot of races and usually I got some free stuff out of it. Once in awhile the rest of the family traveled with him. I have pictures of Daryl Waltrip babysitting me while my Dad was doing something else up pit road.

Back then I had dreams of being a race car driver. At the time there were only a handful of racers with corporate sponsors so being a race driver seemed to be within reach of everyone. For some reason I took a liking to drag racing a lot more than circle track. I even helped out on some pit crews. It was great fun and I got lots of free stuff. Eventually I grew up and reality set in. Dad left Goodyear and I started playing soccer and running track... and the big sponsors came in and suddenly driving a race car was not within reach.

Occasionally I watch a movie about racing and it brings back all the memories. The IMAX movies “Super Speedway” and “NASCAR” are probably my two favorites... and of course Pixar's “Cars” is great. Others never seemed to really capture the fun and certainly never gave me the feeling of being in the drivers seat.

So along comes a new CMT movie called “The Ride of Their Lives”. I read the box and it talks about the history of NASCAR. I've seen a few of those shows. Usually a bunch of talking heads reminiscing about the old days with very little to draw the viewer into the stories.

Filmmaking: 9
The Ride of Their Lives uses the beaches of Daytona as the central theme throughout. It is, after all, where NASCAR began and still holds the biggest race of the season. As an artist sits on the beach and begins to draw, the story begins to unfold about about the people... from fans to drivers. Throughout the history of NASCAR it has been about family. Director Rory Karpf takes us through the triumphs and tragedies of NASCAR in a mere 93 minutes.

I was highly skeptical of a 93 minute movie being able to tell any kind of decades long history in such a short time but The Ride of Their Loves isn't so much about the history of stock car racing as it is about the people involved... from life to sometimes tragic death. Narrated by Kevin Costner, the first half of the film revolves around the Petty family, then the Allisons, Earnhardts, and into present day. The cast of characters includes Waltrip and Gordon with a list of others just touched on. Brief side stories of the first black driver, and “Hollywood” Tim Richmond's life of excess round out the stories.

The Ride of Their Lives certainly doesn't go in depth on any particular season, but it goes to the heart of the people and they are all people with whom we can connect... and that is the strength of this film. To see virtually every racing father have to talk about the death of a son or grandson is heart wrenching but it is the reality of the risks of racing.

Graphics: 8
The Ride of Their Lives is a bit different than the other racing documentaries I have seen. It does have the usual blend of historic footage from the beaches of Daytona. Naturally the older film is grainy and sometimes colors go all over the spectrum, but there are many clips that I had never seen before. Many angles of historic crashes that they must have found in someones basement. Most of it seems about as clean as it could possible be considering the age. The new interviews and racing footage are flawless. Older film looks as it should but never really distracts from the engrossing stories being told.

Sound: 6
For a movie about racing there really isn't much of a surround sound experience to be found in The Ride of Their Lives. Certainly not on the level of IMAX NASCAR. Granted, the historic footage is primarily old 8mm or 16mm film which likely didn't have sound at all. But even the newer scenes make very little use of the subwoofer or surround speakers. The primary focus is, after all, on the stories and the dialog is strong and easily understandable in the front speakers. The Ride of Their Lives includes a 5.1 surround track and 2.0 stereo track. There are no subtitles.

Value: 8
The Ride of Their Lives includes over an hour of additional interviews and extended scenes. Extras include: Evolution of A Sport (15 min.) which features new or extended interviews with Humpy and Patti Wheeler, Glen and Leonard Wood, Ryan and Randy Pemberton, Jeff Gordon and John Bickford, and John and Barry Dodson. Larger Than Life (3 min.) features more interview footage with Bill France, Jr. and Betty Jane France, and Sandy Welsh. Family Ties (21 min.) more interviews with Richard Childress and Grandsons, Frances and Peggy on Tim Flock, Robert and Doug Yates, Ryan Pemberton, and John and Barry Dodson. Overcoming Adversity (12 min.) extended interviews about some interesting historical moments of racing with Bill France, Jr., Bobby and Judy Allison, and John and Barry Dodson. Dale (15 min.) interviews about the life and death of Dale Earnhardt featuring Richard Childress and Grandsons, Tony Eury, Sr and Jr., Ryan and Randy Pemberton, and John and Barry Dodson. The NASCAR Foundation (5 min.) a promotional piece about the charity organization. DEI Foundation (3 min) another promotional piece about Dale Earnhardt's charity foundation. Trailers for “Beer for My Horses” and “Dale” are included as are still screen for the DVD credits.

In all, the extras are very good. However I would have really liked to hear more about some of the other stars such as Cale Yarborough, AJ Foyt, Bill Elliot, Dave Person, and even someone like Dave Marcus who basically was testing cars for Earnhardt and others while racing but never saw the limelight himself. I guess there are other documentaries that would cover their stories.

Overall: 8.8
NASCAR: The Ride of Their Lives has the perfect blend of personal stories and film that never lets up. For anyone who is a NASCAR fan The Ride of Their Lives is a must see. Even the casual fan will enjoy the amazing footage and memories about the 60 year history of NASCAR and the people who made racing what it is today.