THE STORY – Showcases the early years of Québec racing driver Gilles Villeneuve.
THE CAST – Rémi Goulet, Rosalie Bonenfant, Patrice Robitaille, Anick Lemay, Luc Picard, Fabien Cloutier, Hubert Proulx, Étienne Galloy, Joe Cobden, Neil Webb, & Frank Crudele
THE TEAM – Yan Lanouette Turgeon (Director), Daniel Roby & Guillaume Lonergan (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 106 Minutes
As the title of Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s sympathetic biopic indicates, “Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend” tracks his path from a teen addicted to speed, through to racing snow machines, junior formula cars, and eventually catching the eye of Enzo Ferrari himself and plucked for a seat in the most storied Formula 1 team of all time.
The journey from Berthierville on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence to the Imola Circuit in Emilia-Romagna may have been circuitous, but in Turgeon’s telling, Gilles’ success feels inevitable. Played by Rémi Goulet, we witness a teen Villeneuve race his father’s car around the streets of his hometown, totaling the vehicle in the process. When the police come to deliver the shattered wreckage, the son tells his parents the truth, and their reaction where they shrug off the accident without a care about the expense and betrayal to be one of the more difficult to believe moments of the film.
Still, if Gilles truly did come from parents that seem angelic in their perfection, with a supporting father and a mom who just occasionally shook her head as yet another inconvenience was put her way, then kudos to the filmmakers for getting things right. In context, however, it feels like maybe even a little bit of drama would have made for a better film, and, presumably, more accurate to our expectations of human reaction.
Villeneuve’s character is a preternatural talent who’s the only one who seems to be a schmuck at times, with everyone around him pretzelling themselves to foster his success. From his tireless, timekeeping wife (Rosalie Bonenfant) to Enzo himself (Frank Crudele), who practically adopted the driver, a small army of people helped the mighty driver achieve his dream.
There’s enough visceral fun to sate just about any petrolhead, from the snowy tracks of ski-doo racing through the Formula Atlantic series and the testing on Ferrari’s track. The film very much focuses on that rise to the red car’s seat, spending little time on the McLaren era save for contractual discussions, and nothing on his subsequent racing career save for the ubiquitous end text letting the audience know about his untimely death at Zolder in 1982.
The film intersperses archival material with recreations, including shots that look like they were lifted from Frankenheimer’s magnificent epic “Grand Prix.” The racing sequences are visceral and appropriately thrilling, even if it’s challenging to fully express some of the sublime talents of the man save for having race commentators or onlookers simply state it over and over.
Many within the world of F1 have claimed that Villeneuve was the greatest driver to never win a World Championship, and given that his son Jacques would go on to claim that title in 1997, and “Salut, Gilles!” marks the start line of the Montreal track, his name very much continues to resonate in the sport. As a Quebec athlete, he remains revered in that province, and that spirit of sanctification is certainly evident in the telling. Thanks to the global fans of the Italian marque, or Tifosi, Gilles Villeneuve remains someone at the fore of the Ferrari mythos well outside of his home environs, and the film gives them a deeper look at the struggles he overcame to emerge on the world stage.
“Villeneuve” may not break any new ground, but it does a good job of bringing the man’s story to the masses in a compelling way. Its story is told with enough visual panache and sense of speed that it competes well with the big guys like “F1” or “Ford v Ferrari.” In turn, the film has the same underdog spirit Gilles exuded, with a similar contrast between big-budget Hollywood tellings and a more modest, local production. Both driver and film punch above their weight, managing to reach the finish line in good form.
