Exciting documentary about an unlikely team of semi-lunatics, three guys who want to win the Baja 1000 off-road race on their very first try. And with a vehicle they build from scratch that still isn't running right just a couple of days before they must head for Ensenada.
To enjoy this adventure film, you'd be well advised to check your higher-minded values at the theater door. (I'm addressing this to anybody who esteems environmentalism, thrift, wise uses of time and energy, or moderation of any sort.) This movie is an exercise in profligate spending, flaring tempers, beer guzzling, danger and barely controlled chaos. But it's also about excitement, camaraderie, family ties, dreams and heart. And it is this curious mix that comes off as charming and thoroughly absorbing.
"The Flying Canter Brothers," as the co-directors like to bill themselves, like off-road racing and had met Jeff Lloyd at an earlier race. Lloyd had made plenty of money selling LA real estate and took up auto racing to be involved in an activity that would bring him and his teen kids together in a series of adventures they would recall all their lives. After a few successes, the expansive Lloyd began to dream of the Baja 1000, considered the toughest off-road race on the planet. He met up with a genuine geezer, a cantankerous old guy with a Santa Claus beard, Milo Brown, who had built cars at his junkyard but never one that might withstand the hazards of the Baja. Milo and a friend of his, Toby O'Mara, an unemployed plumber who chain smokes and toils endlessly, proceed to build a vehicle commissioned by Lloyd.
The arc of this story spans the last few weeks before the race, the family get together, partying and other pre-race doings in Ensenada, and Lloyd and Toby's experience during the race itself. The Canters and Lloyd arrive at Milo's garage to find only the frame of a chassis with nothing mounted on it. The Canters establish an easy rapport with the team and employ hand held cameras to capture in verité style the strains, pains and occasional triumphs of the three men, as the deadline for the race moves relentlessly closer while the completion and testing of the vehicle appear to remain steadfastly remote. The drama of this movie lies partly in the resulting tension: can these guys possibly get their act together in time?
But the real joy of this movie is its character driven structure. It feels like we get to know these three men intimately. We increasingly share their passion, chuckle at their idiosyncrasies, worry when things go wrong or tempers flare or time seems to be running out. Best of all we see how the personalities of these fellows complement one another. The contributions of each are distinctive: Jeff Lloyd supplies money (over $100K, he gripes) and a proper mix of bonhomie and impatience. Ex-con Milo does rise to Jeff's challenges, but only to a point, for his temperament is somewhat brittle, his frustration tolerance limited. Toby struggles to be the peacemaker and enabler, working night and day to solve mechanical problems, long after Milo is too exhausted to continue. They all share a common dream, of course, and they are equally stubborn in pursuing it.
What happens during the race, you ask? Hey, that would be a spoiler. Besides, it's the people and their preparations that grip you. Mason Canter was present at the screening I attended. He's congenial and engaging. It's easy to see why Lloyd's team embraced him. He says the team plans to race the Baja 1000 again. My grades: 8/10 (high B+) (Seen at the Idaho International Film Festival, 09/29/06)
To enjoy this adventure film, you'd be well advised to check your higher-minded values at the theater door. (I'm addressing this to anybody who esteems environmentalism, thrift, wise uses of time and energy, or moderation of any sort.) This movie is an exercise in profligate spending, flaring tempers, beer guzzling, danger and barely controlled chaos. But it's also about excitement, camaraderie, family ties, dreams and heart. And it is this curious mix that comes off as charming and thoroughly absorbing.
"The Flying Canter Brothers," as the co-directors like to bill themselves, like off-road racing and had met Jeff Lloyd at an earlier race. Lloyd had made plenty of money selling LA real estate and took up auto racing to be involved in an activity that would bring him and his teen kids together in a series of adventures they would recall all their lives. After a few successes, the expansive Lloyd began to dream of the Baja 1000, considered the toughest off-road race on the planet. He met up with a genuine geezer, a cantankerous old guy with a Santa Claus beard, Milo Brown, who had built cars at his junkyard but never one that might withstand the hazards of the Baja. Milo and a friend of his, Toby O'Mara, an unemployed plumber who chain smokes and toils endlessly, proceed to build a vehicle commissioned by Lloyd.
The arc of this story spans the last few weeks before the race, the family get together, partying and other pre-race doings in Ensenada, and Lloyd and Toby's experience during the race itself. The Canters and Lloyd arrive at Milo's garage to find only the frame of a chassis with nothing mounted on it. The Canters establish an easy rapport with the team and employ hand held cameras to capture in verité style the strains, pains and occasional triumphs of the three men, as the deadline for the race moves relentlessly closer while the completion and testing of the vehicle appear to remain steadfastly remote. The drama of this movie lies partly in the resulting tension: can these guys possibly get their act together in time?
But the real joy of this movie is its character driven structure. It feels like we get to know these three men intimately. We increasingly share their passion, chuckle at their idiosyncrasies, worry when things go wrong or tempers flare or time seems to be running out. Best of all we see how the personalities of these fellows complement one another. The contributions of each are distinctive: Jeff Lloyd supplies money (over $100K, he gripes) and a proper mix of bonhomie and impatience. Ex-con Milo does rise to Jeff's challenges, but only to a point, for his temperament is somewhat brittle, his frustration tolerance limited. Toby struggles to be the peacemaker and enabler, working night and day to solve mechanical problems, long after Milo is too exhausted to continue. They all share a common dream, of course, and they are equally stubborn in pursuing it.
What happens during the race, you ask? Hey, that would be a spoiler. Besides, it's the people and their preparations that grip you. Mason Canter was present at the screening I attended. He's congenial and engaging. It's easy to see why Lloyd's team embraced him. He says the team plans to race the Baja 1000 again. My grades: 8/10 (high B+) (Seen at the Idaho International Film Festival, 09/29/06)
