If you're staying home: Movie tip

I promise you'll thank me later

First of all, if you can, set aside your skepticism for just a minute.

If you told me I would have enjoyed the movie “Gran Turismo,” I would have rolled my eyes and left the room. This the reaction I’ve had from every person in my life I’ve told about 134-minute feature film based on a true story.

Now I’m telling you.

It is the story of a working class kid whose dream to become a race car driver is dismissed as ridiculous. And it is ridiculous. His only experience is playing video games at home.

The biopic is perfect if you’re in the mood for a great escape — especially during this weird political time of transition that seems to have plunged most of the United States into anxiety, regardless of partisan affiliation.

People with zero interest in video games, auto racing or the struggles of parenting connect with the characters in this story.

Acting and casting are phenomenal. I can’t remember the last time I jumped out of my seat and cheered action on the screen. This is a perfect family film. It’s also great to watch solo. Amazing cinematography and stunt driving, too.

If you told me I’d ever like a movie based on a video game, well, it would never happen.

A teen gamer thinks he can become a professional racer in the film “Gran Turismo”

One reason I enjoyed this film so much is that, in real life, so much about automotive development and design now evolves through computer simulation. Elements of the film provide a sneak peek into the world of engineering today.

Also, what few people realize, is that so much of what auto companies test in their cars on the racetrack provides intel that’s later incorporated into everyday vehicles that end up in your driveway.

But I digress.

A behind-the-scenes Ferrari connection

“Gran Turismo” is not just a 2023 Hollywood film but also the name of a widely popular video game franchise developed for PlayStation that debuted in 1997.

Vehicle handling in the games is based on principles of real-world physics, requiring the player to understand real race driving techniques to be competitive.

A scene from the biopic “Gran Turismo.”

Incredibly, one of Italy’s top universities, with an engineering department named after Enzo Ferrari, awarded the creator of the video game series an honorary doctorate due to his “technical mastery of auto simulation, high level of competency with auto mechanics, and promotion of excellence in the auto industry,” wrote GT Planet in 2017.

The chancellor of the elite University of Modena and Reggio Emilia praised engineer Kazunori Yamauchi for his ability to combine creativity and skill. (For example, making the video game series involved laser-scanning car exteriors and interiors to obtain raw data to create the car models. Artists worked with engineers to create the successful video game series that has generated billions in sales.)

Artists and engineers worked their magic with this film, too.

A teen attempts to transfer his gaming skills to race car driving in the film based on a true story, “Gran Turismo.”

British actor Archie Madekwe plays the fearless teen. Orlando Bloom has a key role. And Geri Halliwell (formally singer Ginger Spice) is in it, too. They were directed by Neill Blomkamp, an Oscar-nominee who did the science fiction film “District 9.”

My favorite, however, is the washed-up professional driver played by David Barbour. The award-winning actor is a familiar face known from roles in “Stranger Things” and “Brokeback Mountain.” (As a young man, Harbour gambled at underground poker clubs in New York, according to his interview with First We Feast in April 2023. Later he became a Shakespearean actor.) Barbour executes the role of that most complicated character flawlessly. And it sets the tone for everything.

“Gran Turismo” is streaming on Netflix, or Apple TV and Amazon Prime for $3.99.

Caution: The film’s name is often confused with Clint Eastwood’s 2008 drama “Gran Torino.” That’s an entirely different film experience.

Audiences for “Gran Turismo” may also enjoy the 2019 Hollywood blockbuster “Ford v Ferrari” with Matt Damon and Christian Bale about the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

On New Year’s Eve, make some popcorn and curl up with a blanket.

Trust me.

PS: As a proud member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, a roundup of world-class journalists, I invite you to check out the group. You’ll find news and commentary and just plain great writing.