TRADING PAINT: The World Of Auto Racing, Only Slower

It’s been a few years since the resurgence of actor John Travolta as a draw for theatergoers, a notoriety thanks largely in part to his iconic role in Quentin Tarantino’s sophomore venture Pulp Fiction. Unfortunately, celebrity status in Hollywood can be a tumultuous ride which over time can ebb as quickly as it flows.

Thankfully, the advent of digital cameras and foreign investors have lowered the cost of getting story to screen, creating a litany of slapdash straight to streaming movies able to afford one big name actor to spark legitimacy in a project. Not to mention a quick payday for an A-Lister looking to make bank. Travolta’s new auto racing film Trading Paint seems to fit this mould to a T, but hey, you have to pay the bills somehow.

Slow and Steady Won’t Always Win the Race

Fast cars. Squealing tires. Roaring engines. Screaming fans — are nowhere to be found in this dull as dirt car racing snooze-fest. Slower than the Alabama drawls impersonated by its characters, Trading Paint lacks any of the pulse-pounding action found in similar race films. Coupled with an ultra-safe family drama, the end result is an uninspired bore where the tires go flat right off the starting line.

Travolta plays Sam Monroe, a former race car driver from a local racing family hoping to pass the torch on to his son, Cam (Toby Sebastian). Sam is crushed when his rival Linsky (Michael Madsen), a wealthy fan fave, hires Cam to drive for his team. Torn between taking care of his newborn child and loyalty to his father, Cam finds himself pitted against his dad when Sam decides to come out of retirement. The B-story involving Sam’s relationship with Becca (played charmingly enough by Shania Twain) after the tragic death of his wife only adds to the cinematic treacle seeping throughout. What follows is a subdued predictable relationship film jumping from one melodramatic ‘who could care’ scene to the next.

Always a Dull Moment

When filming auto racing, like any sport, the action has to be as exciting as its subject. Quick cuts, close-ups, and interesting angles can fool the eye into believing a car is tearing around a racetrack at breakneck speeds. Instead, wide shots of vehicles barely shifting into third gear ruin any illusion of danger struggling to be conveyed by the film. To make matters worse, a sparse crowd of blank-faced race fans barely fill the stands during the barely lit racing scenes all filmed at night, begging the viewer to ask why they should even care.

Director Karzan Kader, having only two other films under his belt, seems to have little grasp on story structure, editing or tone while steering this wreck of a film into a wall. The camera work, mostly handheld, made sitting through the experience an effort more than a joy. Shaky, novice shots of conversations gave pivotal scenes an off-kilter feel with no effort to build tension. Throw in Travolta’s character of Sam Monroe as some sort of town hero who never truly earns the accolades said about him by everyone he comes across. That, and every time someone repeated the name ‘Sam Monroe,’ I imagined the screenwriter was eating caviar while coming up with such a silly name for the character.

Talladega Nightmare

Besides excellent character actor Kevin Dunn playing Sam Monroe’s old buddy Stumpy, there is very little to like about Trading Paint. Michael Madsen shows up and does his usual cowboy hatted pause-acting with a heavy dollop of rasp in his voice. Toby Sebastian pulls off a decent enough southern accent for a UK actor and Travolta plays it safe, never attempting to take the role for a ride. Interspersed with adulating stories of how amazing a man Sam Monroe is, the audience is left with a hoaky mess of character traits about the protagonist which never feels earned in any way.

None of the cast shines as a true stand out and the 88 minute run time seems like an eternity. Considering the number of excellent racing films this one could have aped from for inspiration, it’s safe to say Will Ferrell’s performance in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby had a deeper and more engaging narrative tone than what is presented on screen. Unless you are a dyed in the wool racing buff or a Travolta completest, there is little reason to watch Trading Paint. Besides, you’d more than likely forget you saw it once the credits roll.

With the ever growing trend of A-List actors making D-List films, are there any films in this category which might have slipped through the cracks of late night streaming? We’d love to know your picks for low budget flicks we might have missed in the comment section.

Trading Paint was released in the USA on February 22.