Perhaps Howard was inspired by his earliest days as a filmmaker, working for B-movie maven Roger Corman and making another car-centric movie, Grand Theft Auto (1977). Working with the great screenwriter Peter Morgan, with RUSH, director Ron Howard creates his best and grittiest movie since the duo's Frost/Nixon (2008), or even Apollo 13 (1995). Oh - and it's a ripping race track yarn with awesome driving sequences. And as long as your teens are old enough to start managing that complexity, there are some interesting topics in this film. Except once - when he reaches for violence, not to defend his honour, but that of his opponent.Īs a parent, it's an interesting paradox - his use of violence was wrong, yet his motivation was noble. I highlight that last one because Hunt, while physically hulking, brooding, and edgy the whole film, is never shown as being a man of violence at any time. * And - and yes, this is a contentious one, because violence is never a solution - Hunt's decision to pull aside and punch the lights out of a journalist who appallingly questions whether Lauda's marriage can survive his injuries. * Hunt's apology to Lauda, and Lauda's response that it was Hunt who motivated him to recover and return * Lauda's decision to leave the Japanese GP because it is too dangerous - and more importantly, his total peace with this decision when it means that Hunt wins the world championship. * Gemma's patient response to Lauda that if he truly fears that his love for her will make him a poorer driver (because he will take less risks for fear of losing his life with her) then he has 'already lost' * Lauda's pleading attempt to convince other drivers to cancel the German Grand Prix due to safety? * Lauda's determined recovery and return to the track? And when Lauda fails to convince other drivers to cancel the German grand prix - even though he clearly has their safety in mind - he learns that his aloof and prickly ways have real limits. Hunt learns self-discipline, humility and resilience from seeing Lauda's brave recovery from near death. Who won the short game? Who won the long game? Why?īoth men are at extremes from each other, but both learn from being faced to compete. Lauda wins numerous, and was involved in F1 for the rest of his long long life. Do your kids want to be Hunt or Lauda? Hunt wins one championship, retires and dies young. Hunt, seemingly, just accepts it and lets it fuel his 'courage' yet his hollow, drug-fuelled lifestyle clearly shows he is paying costs of another kind. He tries to 'science' his way out of death and pays a price through years of diligence. Lauda's approach is to work, practice, engineer and manage every possible risk that he has control over downwards. How the characters respond, differently, to that risk, gives parents immense topics to talk through. I would rather my teenage children watch Rush fifty times before getting a driver's license, than play Grand Theft Auto and think it's an indication of their skill. Great drivers make mistakes, get horribly hurt, and die. Driving fast might be glamorous but it is inherently dangerous. But we could not realistically establish the terrible risks and consequences of F1 racing (in the 1970s) without seeing the violence it delivers on the characters, nor hearing the swearing bravado they use to mask their fears.ĭeath is around every corner in this film. By this I mean that we could establish James Hunt's playboy life without quite as many vignettes of his bedroom antics. But only the first has (arguably) moments of gratuity in it, relative to the story. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails. Finally, it's no secret that racing is all about merchandizing, and many brand names are shown throughout, including Coca-Cola and Marlboro cigarettes. Language is very strong, with uses of "f-k," "a-hole," and "c-t." Hunt sleeps with many women, and some female toplessness is shown (Lauda's girlfriend is also shown topless.) Hunt is also shown drinking to excess, smoking cigarettes, and briefly smoking pot. The movie includes several car crashes, with blood and bones shown, and a very intense sequence in which one character is badly burned. In other words, they aren't anywhere near the squeaky-clean role models parents might be hoping for. It depicts their athletic skill and determination, but it's also about their dark sides: their excesses, dirty tricks, and personal failures. Parents need to know that Rush is a biopic from director Ron Howard about two 1970s Grand Prix champions, James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
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