DVD Release July 15.
Directed by: Eric Bana
Starring: Eric Bana and friends, Dr Phil McGraw, Jay Leno, Jeremy Clarkson
Distributed by: Madman Entertainment
“Vroooom Vroooom…neeerrrrr neerrrrrr neeeeeeeeeeerrrr….”
That is the sound of a kid playing ‘cars’. It is also the sound that goes through your head when you play a car-based computer game (even though there is also a soundtrack), and when you sit, as an oversized giant with knees spilling over the sides, in a pretend car in a kid’s playground. It is also, rather distractingly, the one sound that I heard in my own head for the entire length of Eric Bana’s directorial debut.
With his recent run of serious acting roles, in Munich, Troy, and Black Hawk Down, one could almost forget that Bana is, in essence, a very funny man. I had almost forgotten his time with Full Frontal (I blame my parents because I wasn’t allowed to watch it so my memories are pervaded by the fear which held my quivering index finger over the power button on the remote, in case any authority figure should spring me), and his role in The Castle, though hilarious in its simplicity, was minor.
A documentary about Bana the man, not the actor, therefore, is the perfect medium to remind us of his pokerfaced, earnest wit. Love the Beast, as the name suggests, is a love story about Bana and his car, a Ford GT Falcon Coupe. Not this genre of cars, mind you, but this particular car, the same one he has owned for 25 years. If you think the car is probably going to be a minor part of the story, you may be disappointed. The film is a homage to the Beast, showing it from all angles, stationary and moving, inside and out. Vroooom.
But of course, the car is only one part of a more complex story, about male bonding, object loving and getting back to yer roots. After building a backstory, involving Bana’s acquisition of the car, and introducing his parents and best mates, the film follows Bana’s street-rallying career – described as one of the most dangerous forms of motorsport. Bana and mates attend rallies and fix faults, bickering and teasing each other along the way. The tension builds as they take part in the five-day Targa Tasmania rally, where after a nervous start they slowly build confidence in a way that makes you think something is going to go wrong. And it does (this link is a bit of spoiler so click at your own risk).
It is at this juncture that the film takes a disconcertingly Hollywood turn – both stylistically and literally. Though still sprinkled with wit and genuine emotion, Bana is spirited away from his childhood home in Essendon to attend to red carpet duties, and in the process, goes on a soul-searching journey.
The trailer and promotions for the film suggest that celebrities Jay Leno, Dr Phil and Jeremy Clarkson might be a major part of the story, but their cameos are bunched into this particular storyline. They are quite entertaining, and somewhat insightful, but no more so than Bana’s mates at home. Their presence unbalances the film. Perhaps if they had been dotted throughout the narrative, you might feel less suspicious that their role was nothing more than a promotional tool.
Overall though, Love the Beast is moving and surprisingly emotionally convincing car love story. Even if you’re not a motorhead, Bana’s humour and passion are contagious. And if you do get at all bored with it, you can always supplement the dialogue with car noises in your head.
Photo credit: Bana by Vern Norrgard/http://www.flickr.com/photos/norrgard/ / CC BY-NC 2.0
