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Down and Derby (2005)
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:6
Rotten:20
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: Dull, predictable family fare.
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... 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 [More]
Starring: Greg Germann, Lauren Holly, Pat Morita
Starring: Greg Germann, Lauren Holly, Pat Morita
Studio: Innovation Film Group
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Reviews for Down and Derby
Does better on DVD than it did on the big screen, as long as your expectations aren't too high.
Heads in predictable directions and illuminates little besides the process of crafting cars to compete in the Scouts' Pinewood Derby.
It has moments of fun, but... In racing terms, it limps toward the finish line and comes up short.
It's too predictable and TV-movie generic to appeal to anyone older than, say, 5.
Imbecilic, unreasonable and wretchedly unfunny.... The film is 5,580 seconds long, and not one of those seconds is believable.
It’s when adults with whitewashed notions of childhood get hold of a camera that kiddie fare -- like this uninspired effort from writer-director Eric Hendershoot -- goes limp.
Might make for a foul-weather-time waster on Nickelodeon, the Fox Family Network or even the Disney Channel, but on the big screen it's a hapless, hopeless bore.
Typical for this type of family-skewing comedy, performances vacillate between engagingly broad and annoyingly overstated.
Like a snow cone with no syrup, Down and Derby leaves us high and dry in the moral-of-the-story department.
The cartoonish movie might have made for a funny half-hour short or sitcom pilot but runs out of track well before its conclusion.
Germann is the whole show here, which might not be so bad if he played to his quirky strengths. Instead, he's stuck playing Tim Allen
The cornball humor and aw- shucks demeanor often make the Disney Channel seem edgy by comparison.
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.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
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| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
| 53% 53% | David & Layla |
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