NEW YORK (OSV News) – In the early 1990s, video game designer Kazunori Yamauchi, along with several colleagues, set out to develop a car racing simulation that would be realistic down to the smallest detail. How well they succeeded may be judged by fact-based drama that takes its name from the title of the franchise they created, “Gran Turismo” (Sony).
Director Neill Blomkamp’s lively against-the-odds tale recounts the unlikely career of working-class Welsh lad Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe). Having mastered Yamauchi’s game, Jann is offered the opportunity to prove his skills in real life via a competition among his GT-playing peers, the winner of which will get to join Nismo, Nissan’s motorsports team.
Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), the marketing executive who conceived the contest as a publicity ploy, initially offers Jann his support. But the youth struggles to gain the confidence of Jack Salter (David Harbour), the hard-bitten coach hired to train the entrants.
Jann also faces opposition from his dad, Steve (Djimon Hounsou). An ex-soccer player, Steve considers Jann’s many hours spent at the console as so much wasted time.
Teen viewers might potentially have benefited both from the example of Jann’s persistence and from the arc of his relationship with Steve. But, while “Gran Turismo” is free of problematic violence or sexual content, as scripted by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin, it comes freighted with an amount of vulgar dialogue that makes it doubtful material for any but grown-ups.
Mature moviegoers will appreciate the picture’s positive values as it highlights the need for family solidarity, reconciliation and the open acknowledgement of mistakes. There are some touching emotional moments along the plot’s familiar course as well, and Madekwe succeeds in winning empathy for his character.
Still, lengthy sequences demonstrating Jann’s resourcefulness and resilience behind the wheel, while suspenseful, may ultimately try the patience of all but enthusiasts. Fewer laps before the checkered flag would have kept this engaging biopic in sharper focus.
The film contains graphic auto accidents, about a half-dozen instances each of profanity and milder swearing, at least one rough term, numerous crude expressions and occasional crass talk. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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