Turbo: Fun for all you dreamers out there…

Many people close to me think I’m a cynic. I’m not. In fact, I’m just the opposite. I’m a pretty hopeless dreamer, and I’m a sucker for hopeless dreamer movies. And, let me tell you, friends, Turbo is a hopeless dreamer movie.

That said, I didn’t go into Turbo with high expectations. As much as I love the Indianapolis 500, all the marketing for the film annoyed me. It smacked of the racetrack of my childhood trying a bit too hard to be relevant. And, this is from a person who grew up listening or watching to every Indianapolis 500 race since he was born.

Hey, I grew up in Indiana, what do you expect?

Look, Turbo doesn’t break any new ground. It’s a pretty simple, “cockeyed idealist going against the grain of friends, family and everyone who tells him his ridiculous dream is impossible” story. We’ve seen it a million times before and you know what?

I frankly don’t care. The story is intimate and hear warming enough for me to look past the well trod story line. So, what’s it about?

The story is about Turbo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) the Garden snail who wants to go fast (hush, Ricky Bobby fans). As you might imagine, that notion doesn’t fit into the snail world, especially with his brother, Chet (Paul Giamatti). He is a snail out of the garden (sorry, couldn’t resist) and no one understands him. Then, one fateful day, he gets sucked into the engine of a street racer, inhales nitrous oxide and starts going 200 mph. In his adventures, he meets another dreamer, Tito (Michael Pena), a hispanic man who owns a taco stand with his brother Angelo (Luis Guzman). Tito uses Turbo speed to enter him in the Indianapolis 500. You can probably imagine what happens next.

Yeah, I know, the plot seems a bit far fetched. And, you cynics out there will probably hate it. You dreamers, like me, will probably tear up a little, root for a little snail and be completely satisfied with the ending.

So, get the kids, the dreamers in your life, or the non-cynics to go see Turbo. It’s a nice, light, fun and comfortable time at the movies. Plus, a good reminder, dreamers are pretty fun to hang with sometimes…

P.S. There is something for you dark humored people in the movie. I won’t give it away, but look for the crows…