Larry Silverstein
I've always had the greatest respect for Paul Newman, who passed away in 2008, not only for his great acting skills but also for the way he conducted himself in his personal life. This documentary confirmed, if not even enhanced, those feelings.The film, well directed by comedian, actor, and filmmaker Adam Carolla focuses on Newman's passion for driving race cars. He started driving at the late age of 48, when most drivers are retiring. Newman started slowly, learning the ropes, but progressed into a top notch race driver, winning a number of championships in the classifications he drove under. He even finished second, as part of the race team in the 1979 prestigious Le Mans 24 hour marathon race. Later in his life, Newman formed a most successful partnership with Carl Haas, as they owned cars that won over 100 races and 8 championships.Overall, what shined through for me in this movie was not only Newman's enormous passion for racing, but his personal traits of honesty, modesty, and possessing a wonderful sense of humor, despite all the fame and notoriety that came his way from the silver screen. Additionally, along with his wife, the superb actress Joanne Woodward, they have helped so many people, over the years, through their Newman's Own Foundation and their Hole in the Wall Gang free camps for ill children.
Michael_Elliott
Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman (2015) **** (out of 4)Robert Redford, Robert Wagner, Michael and Mario Andretti, Jay Leno, John Morton and countless others are interviewed about the racing career of Paul Newman. Many people seem to forget that the Oscar- winning actor preferred being on the race track over being in front of the camera and this documentary shows how he got into doing it and the various races that he was in.I was really surprised at how wonderful this documentary is for a number of reasons. For starters, there really hasn't been any good documentaries on Newman so it was rather refreshing getting to hear about his love for racing and how he got into it during the training for his film WINNING. We get to hear from Robert Wagner and how the training just hit it and we also hear from Newman's friend Redford about what he was like when it came to racing. We also get archival interviews with Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward.Some of the best interviews come from Newman's racing buddies and partners and they give a terrific look at what the actor was like away from the cameras. The documentary also covers other subjects including Newman understanding the risk of dying, the various issues caused by the paparazzi who came to races to film the star and his involvement in the movie CARS, which would turn out to be his final feature.WINNING: THE RACING LIFE OF PAUL NEWMAN is going to appear to racing fans as well as Newman's fans. It's an extremely interesting documentary and a highly entertaining one.
GeoPierpont
I thought I had respect for Paul Newman, now I have grown to appreciate the many varied supreme talents of Adam Carolla. This documentary was so well executed, I guess I am in shock. The flow, sentiment, and visuals were simply stunning and what an incredible story of a racing career that started at age 48!I applaud Adam and his team for providing such a broad yet sensitive treatment to a world famous gentleman who loved the challenge of man vs machine. I have long been a fan of both men for their respective talents and look forward to future efforts to capture unique aspects of life on film.High recommend for race fans, Paul Newman, Adam Carolla and how transforming a career can effect the world. Congratulations!
J Kim Meyers MD
Paul Newman, known and beloved as a Movie Star, was yet humble and as "down to earth" as anyone in that strata can be. Yet he discovered relatively late in life a passion for driving and racing cars. At an age when most all top drivers are retired, he began. Instant miraculous success did not happen, and his beginning was the slow laborious process it is for non-prodigies (though aided by focus). But he had that special fuel, passion, and he used that fuel to power himself to success on large stages in the world of motorsport. This is his story. Thanks to Adam Carolla, you can share the ride, along with some great contemporaries. Highly recommended.