Search - Race You to the Bottom on DVD

Great Directorial Debut

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 05/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Race You to the Bottom"



Great Directorial Start



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"Race You to the Bottom" is one of the films in the new line up for Here! TV. It is a unique film and a first for its director.

Nathan and Maggie are lovers and are having a very passionate love affair. They are both young and good looking and they both have boyfriends. The bonds of their relationship are tested when Nathan receives an assignment to write a travel article on Napa Valley and the romantic hot spots there. He invites her to go along and they are faced with the issue of whether their passion and sexuality will pass the test of togetherness or will they go their separate ways?

This is both an interesting and well done movie especially as it deals with the complex relationships of the modern world. Today we see a definite blurring of gender roles as well as the expectations that go along with those roles. Nathan and Maggie inhabit their roles perfectly and they are very much real and living characters. Put this together with beautiful music and gorgeous scenery and you have a quality film.

The only problem that I have with the film is that it just did not want to get going. It took a very long time to get to the main points but at least we were treated to beautiful cinema photography and a very beautiful soundtrack while we waited. We really do not see the reaction of the characters to the situation they are in.

However you can't have everything these days and we should be thankful and gracious for what we do have and that is a good movie that gives us a feast for the eyes. Amber Benson as Maggie and Cole Williams as the leads are also beautiful to watch. When Nathan invites Maggie along o his travel writing assignment, they decide to stop and visit her best girlfriend and ex-boyfriend o the way to their destination. They are both married now and not content in their present stations. When Nathan is left alone with the very straight husband, he scores a conquest that will have severe repercussions later on. But as they continue towards their destination, discordance begins to rule. Maggie attempts to get closer to Nathan but he is not ready to commit to her or to anyone. Nathan becomes more standoffish to Maggie and she changes as well, becoming accusatory and shrill. When they finally arrive in Los Angeles there is a permanent rift between the two. When they meet a year later by chance, we see that there are still feelings there and the two who were once friends at the university, we see that they are tired of the games they have played.

There seems to be real chemistry between the two actors and they are more like a married couple than illicit lovers. It could be that he s simply a gay boy and she is his cover. When they communicate they are insightful and the film is very much a look at intimacy and intensity in relationships. The plot is novel and the idea is inventive and the director, Russell Brow, has done an admirable job. Again, the visuals are eye-openers ad skillful editing helps to move the plot along.

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