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Movies / On DVD / Down and Derby
Down and Derby

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Down and Derby (2005)

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23 %
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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:6

Rotten:20

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: Dull, predictable family fare.

Genre: Comedies

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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Down and Derby

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

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

Full Review Source: Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) | comment Comment
02/03/06
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

The cornball humor and aw- shucks demeanor often make the Disney Channel seem edgy by comparison.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
10/13/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/28/05
Houston Chronicle
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/05/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Imbecilic, unreasonable and wretchedly unfunny.... The film is 5,580 seconds long, and not one of those seconds is believable.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
04/18/05
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

A simple pleasure from start to finish.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/18/05
Kim Williamson
Kim Williamson
Boxoffice Magazine

It’s all about these fathers and how crazy they are.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
04/18/05
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Typical for this type of family-skewing comedy, performances vacillate between engagingly broad and annoyingly overstated.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/15/05
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Heads in predictable directions and illuminates little besides the process of crafting cars to compete in the Scouts' Pinewood Derby.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
04/15/05
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee

A cute family feature about the competitive little boy in every dad.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
04/15/05
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Crammed with charmless characters and/or hammy performances.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
04/15/05
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
04/15/05
Todd Jorgenson
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

[A] decent old-school family film (with cuddly lessons and morals).

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/15/05
E! Online

Too often the movie defies description as a comedy.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/15/05
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

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 Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
04/15/05
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

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 Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/15/05
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

[The] family-friendly slapstick is pitched at such a manic high... that the results are more exhausting than amusing.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
04/15/05
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

It has moments of fun, but... In racing terms, it limps toward the finish line and comes up short.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
04/15/05
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

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 Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/14/05
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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