| The Art of Racing in the Rain | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Simon Curtis |
| Screenplay by | Mark Bomback |
| Based on | The Art of Racing in the Rain 2008 novel byGarth Stein |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ross Emery |
| Edited by | Adam Recht |
| Music by | Dustin O'Halloran Volker Bertelmann |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million[2][3] |
| Box office | $33.8 million[1] |
The Art of Racing in the Rain is a 2019 American drama film directed bySimon Curtis and written byMark Bomback, based on the2008 novel of the same name by authorGarth Stein. The film starsMilo Ventimiglia,Amanda Seyfried,Kevin Costner as the voice of Enzo, and Parker as Enzo—agolden retriever dog.
It was theatrically released on August 9, 2019, by20th Century Fox. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $33.8 million worldwide.
InSeattle, an elderlyGolden Retriever named Enzo is too weak to move, so he calls out for his owner, professional race car driver Denny Swift, to carry him outside. Denny picks him up, promising always to be there for him. As he is carried, Enzo recalls hearing of aMongolian belief that the best dogsreincarnate into men. Enzo knows he is not long for this world, but he hopes to find Denny again in another life.
Years prior, Denny adopts a young Enzo after a sports car race. They immediately bond; Denny names him afterEnzo Ferrari. Denny divides his time between teaching auto racing,auto racing itself, and caring for Enzo. Denny dreams of racing inFormula One, and is struggling to support himself driving forIMSA teams.
A year later, Denny meets Eve. They hit it off and, although Enzo disapproves, Denny and Eve begin dating. Their relationship grows quickly, which Enzo envies, until one day Eve tells him she loves Denny, which he accepts. Denny and Eve marry the following year at her parents' mansion. Eve's mother Trish is supportive, but her father Maxwell doesn't approve.
Shortly after, Eve becomes pregnant. At Christmas, Denny is invited to drive forTeam Penske in the24 Hours of Daytona in late January, a few weeks before Eve's due date. Eve insists that he go, as she believes it could be the start of better things in his career. Eve and Denny's child comes early, and Eve gives birth at home midway through the race as Enzo watches Denny on TV. When Enzo meets the couple's newborn daughter Zoë, Eve tells her he should always protect her. A day later, when Denny meets Zoë, he reveals that the co-driver crashed in the last few laps. Denny hopes more races will come.
Eve's parents visit more frequently, and Maxwell confronts Denny on the dangers of racing, now he is a father. Denny swears always to put his safety first, even if he loses every race.
A few years pass and Enzo finds family life idyllic, while Denny spends prolonged periods away racing. Denny tells Eve that he was invited to race atLaguna Seca, but is hesitant as he feels his career is stagnating. Enzo, witnessing this, is shocked that Denny is considering quitting racing.
Eve falls seriously ill, which Enzo detects through a change in her odour. Eve is diagnosed withbrain cancer. She and Zoë move in with Eve's parents during her treatment. As her cancer progresses, Eve admits to Enzo that she doesn't fear death. Enzo sees Eve's death.
At Eve's funeral, Maxwell accuses Denny of putting his racing career ahead of his family and demandscustody of Zoë, threatening to sue if Denny does not comply. Furious at his insinuation of negligence, Denny attempts to leave. Maxwell grabs him and Denny shoves him away, causing Maxwell to fall and allegedly break a rib. Maxwell reports the incident to the police and Denny is arrested on a4th-degree assault charge. If Denny loses the case, he faces three months incarceration plus permanent loss of custody of Zoë to his in-laws. Denny continues racing and is offered a job inMaranello, testing prototypes forFerrari. He declines due to his court case, but promises he will accept if he wins.
A frustrated Denny goes jogging in the rain with Enzo, who has slowed in his advanced age and is falling behind. Enzo attempts to follow Denny across the street and is hit by a car. Denny rushes Enzo to the vet and uses the last of his savings to pay for his emergency treatment.
Financially and emotionally exhausted, Denny signs an out-of-court settlement, giving up custody of Zoë for visitation and erasing the assault charge. However, Enzo grabs the legal document and destroys it, inspiring Denny to continue to fight. At the trial, a conflicted Trish admits she did not see Denny assault Maxwell. With the charges dropped, Denny accepts the position with Ferrari. When Maxwell and Trish come to Zoë's ninth birthday party, Denny forgives both of them, wanting them in Zoë's life.
Over the next few weeks, Enzo's health rapidly deteriorates. Realizing that his best friend is dying, Denny drives him around the track in a race car for his first and only time. Lamenting he will not be able to continue on caring for his family in Italy, Enzo accepts the good life he's had and looks forward to his new life, hoping he will come back as a human.
Eight years later, Denny, now a successfulFormula One driver forScuderia Ferrari, lives in Italy with Zoë. After a practice session, a young fan with golden hair approaches Denny for an autograph and introduces himself as Enzo. Denny smiles, says the boy reminds him of an old friend, and suggests he come back when he's ready to race.
In addition, in the final scene, Lily Dodsworth-Evans has a brief appearance as a 17-year-old Zoë and formerScuderia FerrariFormula One driverGiancarlo Fisichella is standing in the Ferrari garage.
In July 2009,Universal Pictures bought the film rights to the prize-winning novelThe Art of Racing in the Rain.[4] The project was not able to find a director[5] and came to a halt with Universal Studios.Walt Disney Studios acquired the rights in January 2016. The film adaptation was to be produced byNeal H. Moritz through hisOriginal Film production company.[6]
In 2017, screenwriterMark Bomback revealed that the project was now set up at20th Century Fox, saying, "I'm hoping the third time's the charm, and I'm optimistic that next year will be when it finally goes into production."[7]
Principal photography on the film began on May 9, 2018, inVancouver,British Columbia.[8] The auto racing scenes were filmed atCanadian Tire Motorsport Park inBowmanville,Ontario,[9] with additional on-track scenes filmed atLaguna Seca Raceway nearMonterey,California,Pacific Raceways nearKent,Washington, andMission Raceway Park, 80 km (50 mi) southeast of Vancouver.[10]
Dustin O'Halloran &Volker Bertelmann teamed up to compose the film score.Fox Music &Hollywood Records has released the soundtrack.
The film was released on August 9, 2019, byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.[11]
The Art of Racing in the Rain was released onDigital HD by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on October 29, 2019, and onDVD andBlu-ray on November 5, 2019.[12] It was added toDisney+ on September 16, 2022.
The Art of Racing in the Rain grossed $26.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $7.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $33.8 million.[1]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongsideThe Kitchen,Dora and the Lost City of Gold,Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark andBrian Banks, and was projected to gross $6–8 million from 2,700 theaters in its opening weekend.[13][14] The film made $3 million on its first day, including $450,000 from Thursday night previews. It ended up debuting to $8.1 million, finishing sixth at the box office.[2] It dropped 46% in its second weekend to $4.4 million, finishing in 10th.[15]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 44% based on 120 reviews, and an average rating of 5.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Its heartstring-tugging overtures may be difficult for dog lovers to resist, butThe Art of Racing in the Rain is sentimental and contrived."[16] OnMetacritic the film has aweighted average score of 43 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while those atPostTrak gave it an average 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 72% "definite recommend".[2]
Ed Potton ofThe Sunday Times gave the film a positive review, observing that the premise "really shouldn't work, yet somehow it steers a course between corniness and barminess. By the end I was crying like a baby, along with many of the other people in my screening, as well as giggling at the preposterousness of it all."[18] Peter Debruge ofVariety wrote: "Granted, there aren't a lot of surprises inThe Art of Racing in the Rain. If anything, knowing — or at least anticipating — how the film's myriad tragedies will unfold seems to heighten the effect."[19]
Charlotte O'Sullivan of theEvening Standard gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, calling it "strong contender for most ridiculous tearjerker of the year,"[20] while Adam Graham ofThe Detroit News gave the film a "C" on an A to F scale, noting that "this tale of friendship and companionship between man and man's best friend is bogged down in weepy cliches ripped straight from the Art of Making the Audience Cry handbook."[21]
