Ran DMC

Framing John DeLorean
Unsafe At Any Speed
Official Site | Trailers & Mo
Not Rated | 109 min

By the time Back To The Future cemented the DeLorean as one of the most important automobiles in cinematic history, its creator and his namesake car company were in ruins, both financially and personally.  How could that be so?  How did John Zachary DeLorean give birth to an icon on wheels, but fail so miserably by doing so?

DeLorean’s bucked conventional automotive industry wisdom to rise thru the ranks of General Motors, but proved to be too much of a bon vivant for the top brass’ liking, and so he tried something no one would ever think to do – create his own car company.  The DeLorean Motor Company was born to do the impossible, and ultimately it proved impossible.  Long story short – DeLorean became cash strapped, and in need of further funding, came across a cocaine deal that was too good to be true, which it turned out to be, which led to public spectacle and the rapid decline of everything he built up

His life is certainly ripe for a movie treatment.  And many have tried to get it up on the big screen for years, but as you may have figured – weren’t able to make that happen… UNTIL NOW!  But the double-meaning titled Framing John DeLorean isn’t no biopic.  And it aint no documentary either.  It’s somewhere in between.  Don Argott (his The Art of The Steal is one of my favorite docs of this past decade) and Sheena M. Joyce‘s film is a sorta Unsolved Mysteries, with re-enactments stitched together with interviews, archival photos and footage.  The hybrid concept is nifty (and worked better for American Animals), but on top of the re-enactments, we are ‘treated’ to a peek behind the curtain, as the re-enactors get into character and give us their opinions on the people their playing.  After awhile, I grew tired of these asides, and questioned their need to be included.  Sure, it’s always entertaining to see Alec Baldwin at work in thick eyebrows, here in the title role (and one DeLorean  himself actually wanted Baldwin to play!), but cut out about 20 minutes of this method acting prep, and the movie would have been much more slick and fine tuned, like DeLorean was when he was making muscle cars a thing back in his GM days

Still, DeLorean’s story is one well worth driving by, and how his hubris and failure affected his colleagues and loved ones, but some things are a little bit more exciting when experienced at 88mph, and not at a more leisurely pace

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers 

DeLorean hits the road and VOD Friday

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…