Review of Rush (2013) by Do You Even Jay C — 22 Feb 2014

*THE OFFICIAL BETTER THAN JUNO SEAL*.

Disappointment? Yes! Rush is Ron Howard's latest film, and it's quite possibly his worst. I'm not the hugest fan of his work considering he's been in like....3 good movies. I mean, American Graffiti is quite possibly one of the best high school films ever created, but he was only an actor in that film. Do I need to mention how good Frost/Nixon is? And a Beautiful Mind is a childhood favorite, so I have a somewhat bias to it. However, when I think about his career, I see it more as a very huge disappointment, rather than a great accomplishment. Sure, he was associated with the greatest teen flick to ever grace the screen, but that credit mostly goes to George Lucas, who's career has also been a huge disappointment. So, in the directing chair, I'm not a fan.

Rush is about the incredible true story of Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Bruhl) and James Hunt (played by a rather skinny Chris Hemsworth). Through Formula One racing, which I'm sure barely any Americans watch, they begin a rivalry. Niki has proven to be better than Hunt on several occasions, and it's getting out of hand. Soon, however, Lauda gets in an accident and things spiral out of control for both racer's lives. This story is a rather interesting one, and could've been made into a great film had it been directed by someone with much more flare and talent than Howard. The problems within this film don't just stem from Howard, however, it's from every single thing about this film. I will not put all the blame on Howard, but that doesn't mean he gets a free pass.

One problem I've noted instantly was the acting from the leads. Alone, Daniel Bruhl seemed to be decent and could hold his own. However, he had no chemistry with Hemsworth, no spark with him, and the "rivalry" seemed shoehorned and boring. Then, there's Hemsworth on his own. He's completely off in many scenes. Sure, he can pull of the Norse God look. However, he can't seem to play a human being, which he is, right. He's very stiff and lacks the charisma a leading man needs. The other actors are no different. In all honesty, Daniel Bruhl was possibly the only thing keeping this film together, seeing as he was much more charming than his costar. Also, the film may not be terribly shot, but it's blandly shot. Again, there's no spark, no charm, no anything that makes the cinematography any better. It's just bland. Nothing vivid or imaginative. Just pale and boring.

Like I said, the film is just not as interesting as it should've been. I forced myself to finish this film just to write this review, but I'm thinking that it may have not been worth it. The script was not bad, per say. It was just, again, bland as everything else. Nothing quotable. Nothing that will stick in my head. Just nothing. That's the biggest problem with this film. It takes it's amazing story, and pretty much treats it rather as if it were something like walking in a park. It's much in the same vein as Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, where both films take a rather interesting story, and turn it into garbage. However, unlike EL&IC, this film is actually watchable.

Overall, Rush is pretty much a another huge disappointment from Ron Howard. From the guy that made The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, comes another pretentious sit through. Rush is nothing absolutely. It's just extremely bland in it's execution. It takes the incredible story and turns it into yet another bland film. Of course, it is definitely much better than Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but let's face it, every movie (yes, even Juno) is better than EL&IC. It's acting is nothing special, featuring a completely forgettable performance from it's lead. It's secondary protagonist is actually much more interesting and likable than the complete douche that is James Hunt. Daniel Bruhl does well in his own scenes, but his chemistry with Hemsworth is off, and I can tell it's all Hemsworth's fall. I guess I could recommend this film to Formula One Racing fans or fans of the story, but to everyone else, I'd suggest you look elsewhere.

2/10.