Cars 2 visually stunning, funny and full of fart jokes

Before I review Cars 2, I have to say that one of the great influences in my life was Seinfeld. It was brilliant writing and covered so much of what we run into in our day-to-day lives.  There was one particularly funny episode where Jerry got in touch with his feelings. He was sharing his inner most thoughts and these very sincere emotions were constantly bubbling up. Eventually it passed.
Too bad that hasn’t been the case for Owen Wilson who voices McQueen in the new installment of Cars 2.
If you’ve read this column before you know my take on kids movies. What really matters is that kids like it. They do.
Part of the focus has been taken off McQueen and put on Mater, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. In fact this could be the road version of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour which propelled Larry to superstardom. His comedy isn’t for everyone and it has lots of lowbrow lowlights but the kids love it.
Lots of backfiring exhaust jokes and “that right there is funny” editorializing.
Our story so far.
Lightning McQueen is off to Europe to participate in the World Grand Prix and of course his loyal buddy Mater is going with him.
They’re promoting an organic fuel which could revolutionize the world of cars, who of course are the only life forms in the movie. Along the way someone is trying to mess with the race and the showcase for the fuel and the boys have to get to the bottom of it. Along the way, Mater will be mistaken for a secret agent, McQueen will find Mater annoying and push him away and Holly Shiftwell will be the cleverest name for a female secret agent since Ian Fleming hung it up.
There are some pacer jokes which never get old for me and a lot of silliness.
I liked it.
The movie creates this world where cars are everything and then stays true to that formula. Everything is car focused. I was especially impressed with the scene where the cars are flying first class. It’s brilliant. They have their little car beds and are served high grade oil. I’m not sure what the inflight movie was but I’m sure it was The Great Race or Mustang Sally. Something like that.
Cars 2 is long and I think at times gets a little overly complicated and doesn’t really need to explain every single thought they have around the world they live in.
Still and all, it’s great fun.
Visually, it’s stunning. There’s so much detail in every scene from the audiences at the races which are made of tier upon tier of individual cars, to the unending race scenes which rival real Grand Prix coverage. They even brought in Brent Ussberger to do the play by play. I thought the whole alternative fuel storyline was too complicated and had a Scooby Doo feel to it but hey, who really cares at this stage?
It’s fun, it’s silly and there’s enough fart jokes to hold the attention of most of the prepubescent boys who will flock to see this. It’s not as girl friendly as the original, and while Miss Shiftwell might be the purtiest and the smartest car he’s ever seen afore, I don’t think there’s the same connection as the original Cars which had Lightning and Sally’s relationship front and centre.
Owen Wilson is really irritating. He could use a couple of doses of sincere. Sheesh.
I liked Cars 2. As sequels go, it went pretty far and it really did hold my attention for the almost two hours it ran for. Of course, so does a shiny piece of aluminum foil but hey, that’s another story.
As always. other opinions are welcome, but wrong. That’s it for this week. The cheque’s in the mail and I’m outta here. Paul