20130810: Documentary Review--Love the Beast

Love the Beast

1. Australian live action 'vanity' documentary movie, 92 minutes, released 2009, rated R for language.
2. Hulu says: Eric Bana's directorial debut explores the importance of his 25-year-long love affair with his first car - a Ford XB Falcon Coupe, "The Beast."
3. IMDB: 7.1/10.0 from 1,344 user reviews.
4. Rotten Tomatoes: 59% and 'no consensus yet.'  Well, yes.  The dozen or so mini-reviews I read on Rotten Tomatoes were polarized.  Among ticket-buying movie-goers, 76% liked it.
5. Starring: Eric Bana, Jay Leno (The Tonight Show), Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear), Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil).
6. Eric Bana narrates his involvement with the 1974 Falcon Coupe, from early racing seen live in his youth, to Mel Gibson driving one in Mad Max, to having one of his own.
7. His discussions with other 'car people' are really fine, and add a lot of texture to the piece.  I had not expected Dr. Phil to be a car person, but his discussion of what it's like to race was very incisive, as was his distinguishing between operating at peak performance and delusions of immortality.  Jay Leno was also good at adding more information about car people, who are not all racers.
8. The multiple rebuilds of the Beast were interesting.  The final product probably had little or no original metal left from the original.
9. Eric's first race was in Tasmania, and after his 'last' rebuild of the Beast, he returned to run again in that original track.  This was an endurance race, the '5-day Targa Tasmania Rally.'
10. I am not a 'car person', but I like cars and driving.  So the interviews and the racing footage did not put me off.  I could see how a number of non 'car people' might feel disenfranchised early on in the film.  So, proceed with caution.
11. I liked Bana's straightforward enthusiasm and devotion over time.
12. Five stars of five.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys automobiles.

Cinematography: 6/10 Much of the archival footage sucked: small images, grainy in every spot, poor depth of field.  The more current footage looks good on the whole, but was sometimes bleached out in the bright Australian sun.

Sound: 9/10 Seldom disappoints.

Acting: 8/10 Lots of interviews: Eric's parents, his early friends, other enthusiasts he met in life.  There was plenty of sincerity and humor.

Screenplay: 9/10 The organization was reasonable.