Are you craving a good car movie? Do you wonder what’s gonna tide you over until the next "Fast & Furious" flick? Well, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, the writers of 2 Fast 2 Furious think they have the answer with their upcoming feature Overdrive. Filled with sexy shots, plenty of action and some exceptional classic car sightings, Overdrive is a fun ride. However, if you’re into cars you'll want to manage your expectations before you watch it—because some of the automotive details just miss the mark.
Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable movie, but the following 7 things sure had me rolling my eyes...
The basic storyline is fine—Scott Eastwood and his half-brother, played by Freddie Thorp, are professional car thieves. They roll into the South of France with their sights set high—a '37 Bugatti Type 57SC which has recently sold at auction for north of $40M. In a strange turn of events, they end up collaborating with the Bugatti’s owner to steal a '62 Ferrari GTO from what turns out to be, you guessed it, a really scary guy. But along the way, they just can’t seem to get it right and lose people like us because of stuff like this:
1. Nobody Leaves The Keys In The Ignition
The opening scene features the brothers doing some impressive maneuvering in an M3 in an attempt to hijack a trailer carrying the Bugatti. They finally gain access to the multi-million dollar car and proceed to (spoiler alert) jump in and start it up, just like that. Now, I dunno about you, but if I was transporting $40M worth of anything, I’d hide those keys in my underpants. Call me paranoid.
2. No Car Person Points A Gun At Their Own Ride
There are plenty of tense confrontations in this film, during which you almost worry that the gorgeous leads may just get their faces blown off. However, I counted two such stand-offs where the villain points a gun at a guy standing in front of the $40M Bugatti and a pristine Jaguar XK120. While every collection is worth defending, no collector in his right mind would point a gun anywhere near his cars. He'd move around to look for a less damaging angle, or at least bring some blow darts or have some other booby trap waiting. Come on!
3. They Keep Leaning
If you’ve ever been to a car meet up, car museum, even a car dealership, there’s one pretty major rule of thumb: you just don’t lean on anything, ever. Sure, if it’s your Porsche Speedster or '67 Mustang, you can do whatever you want. But the minute some stranger leans his dusty butt onto it, surely you’d intercept him. But in Overdrive, they just keep leaning. It's downright nerve-racking.
4. No Enthusiast Introduces Themselves As An "Enthusiast"
During another tense moment, the brothers and their pal gain access to the said villain’s fortress and walk past his garage. Then the friend says this line, “I’m a bit of a car enthusiast, could I see your garage?” Ouch! That’s basically the equivalent of RuPaul saying “I’m a bit of a drag queen, could I see your gowns?” It’s just painful.
5. Everybody Knows It's An E-Type
Upon seeing each of these massive collections, both Scott Eastwood and Freddie Thorp spout off the names of each of the cars, which is always fun. However, Thorp makes a fatal error when he sees a Jaguar E-Type and calls it... wait for it... a "Jaguar Type E". Sorry pal, that’s just not what it’s called. You’re English, so you should definitely know better. Shame on you!
6. The E-Type Runs
In another incongruous act of automotive amazement, the final car chase features no less then a dozen incredible, vintage rides. As these gorgeous, pristine vehicles race through the French mountain passes, one thing sticks out... nobody breaks down. Sure, it is logical that the ’67 Mustang, the C1 Corvette and Alfa 158 make it through, but the E-Type? Every car person knows that while the E-Type is a gorgeous piece of machinery, it’s also a mechanical piece of sh... "stuff" that doesn’t run for long without a fix.
Finally, beware, this is a big SPOILER...
7. The Bugatti Gets Away
The aforementioned final chase is a joy to watch because of the setting, the cars and the action. But, the worst offender of all is the final chase between a Maserati Quattroporte and the Bugatti. Of course, it's understandable that they need to build up the dramatic tension, but surely the Bugatti can't outrun a Quattroporte. The Bugatti may be gorgeous, but it was produced in '37 and has an estimated horsepower of 170. The Maserati, even in its lowest trim, has a hp of 400. So it’s probably safe to say that even if the driver is an Eastwood, it's not much of a getaway car. Sorry, Overdrive, but I could probably catch that Bugatti on a Segway.
This doesn’t mean that Overdrive is a bad film. The car spotting is magnificent, the roads are gorgeous, and oh, there’s even two hot French girls who are into cars too, here’s one:
(All photos courtesy of Overdrive Productions)
So go see it. Have fun. Enjoy. Just don't start fact checking, because you'll lose your mind.