aimless-46 For curious movie buffs, "Race the Sun" is a blend of "Breaking Away", "Walkabout", and "Summer School"; making it quite unique and considerably better than its rating. It's neither ambitious nor technically brilliant; in fact the cinematography somehow manages to NOT capture the inherent scenic beauty of a series of Hawaiian and Australian locations. But the casting and directing are solid and the story has so much charm that you don't mind it being corny and predictable. Halle Berry and James Belushi play teachers at a Hawaiian technical high school who reluctantly sponsor a team of students building a solar-powered car. "Race the Sun" was inspired by a group of Hawaiian students who actually entered the World Solar Challenge in 1980. The film would have been better if the cartoonish corporate villain had been replaced by some actual scientific explanations and a bit of background on the race itself. Speaking of cartoons, the solar cars look like something out of "Wacky Races" but there is no sign of Penelope Pitstop in this entertaining race.The school is in Hawaii, which makes for some interesting cultural details (as does the race's Austrialian setting), but for viewer identification purposes the settings could be anywhere.Thankfully the film avoids a couple of obvious traps. Berry and Belushi end up liking and respecting each other but there are no obligatory romantic sparks between them. Likewise for Casey Affleck and Elisha Dushku-who plays his step-sister.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

lynxravenraide When I first saw the film I found it to be interesting, especially since it is set on a famous race. Story isn't bad, a bit of fun as an Australian seeing Americans deal with the conditions here ("What's a Willy Willy?""I don't know"), kind of a fish out of water situation. My only bone of contention is the settings for filming. I am disappointed as a former South Australian, that they didn't use the proper locations of Alice Springs and Adelaide, instead using Broken Hill and Sydney respectively, and I also have a feeling they used Sydney International for the Darwin airport. Also, another inaccuracy, the race is actually run along the Stuart Highway, which is sealed for its entire length

tristen12_34 I saw this movie some time ago and it has stuck with me. Even though it was fictional, it was a heartwarming story. It just goes to show you what can happen when people pull together, even though you are from different heritages and backgrounds. I would recommend this to everyone, young or old. We could all learn from these kids. It is one that I will definitely purchase for my home collection. I loved the beautiful scenery too. Halle Berry, James Belushi and the rest of the cast are just terrific. If you ever wanted to see a movie that left you rooting for the underdog, this is the one to watch. I don't think you would be disappointed at all.

Musiq_One The opening begins with Halle as Sandra Beecher fleeing from a broken marriage and setting up new in a working class section of Hawaii.The English teacher takes a job as a Science teacher and at this point I'm thinking "Dangerous Minds: Hawaiian Style." The classroom is similar a working class neighbourhood, run down school and disruptive kids. But Ms Beecher, who takes the lead in the first quarter of the movie tries to inspire the kids and butts heads with James Belushi's Frank Machi. The experienced engineering teacher.The rest of the movie really belongs to the kids. After a clash between a rich school at a science fair Ms Beecher makes the kids go to they are inspired to build a solar power car to race in and earn their school a better rep. Leading this pack is outcasted, because he's white, ambitious Daniel Webster superbly played by Casey Affleck and the heartwarming, Gilbert a standout character played by J. Moki Cho (who unfortunatley does not have much of a filmography at this point). Roped in is the troubled sister of Daniel, Cindy with a solid peformance by Eliza Dushku and a whole host of other characters each one memorable and stand out. Together they build their hopes, learn from each other and not too sound cheesy but they really do race the sun.This would have been a great family film had it not been for the language. But if that doesn't put you off then I would suggest watching it with them. It really is a a good solid movie. I watched it over a week ago at 3am because i couldn't sleep but it still has stuck with me.