Fearless (1993)
Surviving a plane crash changes Max Klein (Jeff Bridges) emotionally and psychologically; he grows apart from his wife and son and closer to the other survivors. One of whom, Carla Rodrigo (Rosie Perez), develops feelings for Max while she struggles with the death of her son.
The crash provides Max with a detached insight into the human condition, but it’s not much deeper than the platitudes found on Hallmark cards. Fortunately, a second near death experience jolts him back to his normal life.
Tom Hulce was phenomenal as Mozart, but his career never really took off and he’s stuck playing characters like Steven Brillstein, a nondescript sleazy attorney.
As a huge fan of his work as Q, I enjoyed seeing John de Lancie as Jeff Gordon, Max’s business who died in the crash.
Isabella Rossellini is fine as Max’s wife, Laura, but the role doesn’t really give her anything to do. Likewise, a young Benicio Del Toro is wasted in a generic role as Manny Rodrigo, Carla’s husband.
The best thing about the movie is John Turturro as Dr. Bill Perlman, the psychiatrist hired by the airline to treat the surviving passengers.
Because I like Jeff Bridges, John Turturro, and director Peter Weir, I wanted to like this movie, but it’s too hollow. It desperately wants to be profound, but its cast of generic, boring characters don’t have anything to say.
Senna (2010)
From his Formula One debut in 1984 to his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Brazilian motor-racer Ayrton Senna dominated the sport.
My knowledge of motor racing ends with NASCAR and the Indianapolis 500. Formula One is a mystery to me. I’m familiar with names like Michael Schumacher and Mario Andretti, but that’s the limit of my expertise.
I hadn’t heard of Senna or his rival Alain Prost before. It was interesting to watch their rivalry develop, but I wasn’t emotionally invested in their story. The only thing I will take away is an awareness of who Senna was and the role politics played in the rules of the sport (even rules designed for safety purposes).