Title: Trading Paint
Rating: R
Director: Karzan Kader
Starring: John Travolta, Shania Twain, Michael Madsen
Runtime: 1 hr 27 mins

What Is It: A stock car racing legend is drawn back to the dirt track when his son, an aspiring driver, joins a rival racing team.

What We Think: Slow and full of speed, this film was a bit of a contradiction with its pacing. Not a bad film but definitely not the best John Travolta film I have ever seen. I never thought I would ever see the day when a John Travolta film would be capable of making me want to fall asleep during certain points. The racing scenes were full of action and kept me awake no problem, however, the talking scenes were a bit too slow for my taste. In regards to the production value, cinematography, lighting, sound, and costumes were well done and very fitting given the story and location. The acting was decent however not the best from everyone. I thought John Travolta’s performance was very believable as well as Shania Twain’s amongst others. I was not crazy about the performance of actor Toby Sebastian. He seems like he has potential but it felt as if he was holding back since his energy and expressions came off very bland and dry. My biggest problem with this film was really just with the pacing as well as some of the predictability with the story. At the end of the day, this film is about car racing which many would consider a sports movie. Much like many sports movies, you can expect there to be a problem which seems devastating all for the purpose of one’s ego, a few turns of events which helps to move the story forward, and an attempt at a tear-jerking conclusion. This film seems to cover all those bases even if it is a bit predictable.

Our Grade: B, A surprisingly good family film that parents can take their children to go see without severe consequences. It has great messages attached to it regarding loyalty, love, and forgiveness. All in all, regardless of the contradicting pace of the film, it is a decent film.