Speed Racer

Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized-the legendary Rex Racer - whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed's thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company's maniacal owner but uncovers a terrible secret-some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won't drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family's business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival-the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) - to win the race that had taken his brother's life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

WHEW, that was a mouthful and that's why I didn't write it! I grew up watching Speed Racer, loved it. The live action film nearly mimics that anime cartoon, maybe they should have just done an animated feature film?

I was excited to take my kids to see this, and they were excited to see it. After all McDonald's was shoving Speed Racers cars down our throats through the Happy Meals and the boys begged for cereal boxes containing them. I was very disappointed while watching the movie that there were "Simpson-Like" jokes in the dialogue, along with adult words that you would never have heard on Saturday morning cartoons.

There's no way the kids could even begin to follow the convoluted plot lines, heck I had trouble myself. But maybe they didn't have to, as with the cartoon, we just wanted to see the races and cool cars. Overall the film matches the over the top style of the cartoon, and it was fun to see them brought to life, so if you are nostalgic about having the hots for Trixie, check out Speed Racer!