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MOVIES / ON DVD / DOWN AND DERBY
Down and Derby

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Down and Derby (2005)

24%
30%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
24 %
Reviews Counted: 25 Fresh: 6  Rotten:19 Average Rating: 3.9/10
 
Consensus: Dull, predictable family fare. Dull, predictable family fare. more
 
Rated: PG
Theatrical Release: Apr 15, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $43,930
Synopsis:
Down and Derby is a fun and entertaining comedy about a small-town Pinewood Derby competition that transforms an average group of dads into an awkward bunch of competitors. This family-friendly satire combines brilliant acting performances and smartly familiar scenes to expose the... [More]
Down and Derby is a fun and entertaining comedy about a small-town Pinewood Derby competition that transforms an average group of dads into an awkward bunch of competitors. This family-friendly satire combines brilliant acting performances and smartly familiar scenes to expose the desperate behavior of parents who compete with one another through their children - a social dynamic seen in everyday activities ranging from little league to science fairs to pageantry. Phil Davis was the kid who had it all. He could run, kick and jump better than anyone in his fifth grade class. Then, a cool kid from California named Ace Montana moved to town. On one fateful day in front of his two best friends - Blaine and Big Jimmy - Phil lost a head-to-head footrace to Ace and was forever bumped from his champion status. Ever since, first place has eluded him. 25 years later, not much has changed. They all still live in the same neighborhood. Blaine is still cynical and at 5'2" tall, Big Jimmy hasn't grown more than an inch since elementary school. Ace is the perennial winner while Phil's best attempts continue to win just runner-up. Now with children of their own, they find themselves in familiar competitive situations. On the heels of his son's defeat to Ace's son in the city league basketball championship, Phil wakes up unresolved and is at a breaking point with his childhood rival. The next day, news of the upcoming Pinewood Derby race is announced and Phil's son, Brady, races from his Pack meeting to solicit his dad's help. Desperate for a win, Phil sees this event as his breakthrough opportunity to finally beat Ace, whose son is also a Cub Scout. Surrounded by other overzealous dads in the same cul-de-sac, including Blaine and Big Jimmy, they all overlook the event's ideals and dominate the design, planning and construction of the cars. In the crazed world of derby fever, the kids are lucky if they get to pick the paint color or attach a decal. Hilarity builds as the dads teeter on the edge of insanity and resort to backstabbing, cover-ups and sabotage. Wives, families and jobs are ignored with extreme consequences and the kids scheme their revenge to never be underestimated again. In the end, the farce reaches comical and outrageous levels with a surprise twist that will have you on the edge of your seat! © -- Stonehaven Media [Less]

Genre: Comedies

Starring: Greg Germann, Lauren Holly, Pat Morita

DVD Info

Release:

Jan 24, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Additional Release Material:

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Theatrical Trailer

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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Does better on DVD than it did on the big screen, as long as your expectations aren't too high.

Full Review | Comment
02/03/06 08:29 AM
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)
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The cornball humor and aw- shucks demeanor often make the Disney Channel seem edgy by comparison.

Full Review | Comment
10/13/05 06:12 AM
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
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Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
07/28/05 03:42 AM
Houston Chronicle
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Imbecilic, unreasonable and wretchedly unfunny.... The film is 5,580 seconds long, and not one of those seconds is believable.

Full Review | Comment
04/18/05 10:15 PM
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
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A simple pleasure from start to finish.

Full Review | Comment
04/18/05 04:32 PM
Kim Williamson
Boxoffice Magazine
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It’s all about these fathers and how crazy they are.

Full Review | Comment
04/18/05 02:07 PM
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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Typical for this type of family-skewing comedy, performances vacillate between engagingly broad and annoyingly overstated.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 05:02 PM
Joe Leydon
Variety
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Heads in predictable directions and illuminates little besides the process of crafting cars to compete in the Scouts' Pinewood Derby.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 04:16 PM
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee
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A cute family feature about the competitive little boy in every dad.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 03:54 PM
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
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Crammed with charmless characters and/or hammy performances.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 02:43 PM
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
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The Pinewood Derby is a tradition dating back more than 50 years, but it’s doubtful Down and Derby will hang around for more than a week.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 01:57 PM
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
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[A] decent old-school family film (with cuddly lessons and morals).

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 01:26 PM
E! Online
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Too often the movie defies description as a comedy.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 01:03 PM
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
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Down and Derby has the look and feel of something that might turn up on a cable channel devoted to 'family-friendly' entertainment, where it might find a greater audience.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 12:59 PM
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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Down and Derby is amusing enough to make a bit of money at the box office and become a shelf-stable DVD for years to come.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 12:45 PM
Michael Booth
Denver Post
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[The] family-friendly slapstick is pitched at such a manic high... that the results are more exhausting than amusing.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 08:46 AM
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
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It has moments of fun, but... In racing terms, it limps toward the finish line and comes up short.

Full Review | Comment
04/15/05 07:31 AM
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
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The cartoonish movie might have made for a funny half-hour short or sitcom pilot but runs out of track well before its conclusion.

Full Review | Comment
04/14/05 05:45 PM
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
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Like a snow cone with no syrup, Down and Derby leaves us high and dry in the moral-of-the-story department.

Full Review | Comment
04/14/05 04:24 PM
Kathy Cano Murillo
Arizona Republic
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It should be required viewing for moms and dads tempted to write their children's essays, create Power Point presentations for their science projects and build their Pinewood Derby cars.

Full Review | Comment
04/14/05 03:54 PM
Nancy Churnin
Dallas Morning News
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