Synopsis:
A thrilling family film about a boy who must overcome tremendous odds—and his own recklessness—to achieve his dream of winning the National Go Kart Championship.
Cast: William Lodder, Frances O’Connor, Richard Roxburgh, Dan Wyllie, Anastasia Bampos, Cooper van Grootel, Darius Amarfio Jefferson
Director: Owen Trevor
Writer: Steve Worland
Ticking all the boxes for an all-ages, heart-warming time at the cinema, Go! from writer Steve Worland is, I’m sure, hoping for the same early-year success he had with 2014’s Paper Planes. Go! — a pretty unexceptional title — has all the makings of a straightforward coming-of-age sports film that hits familiar tropes, but it’s the small choices in Worland’s script that make this karting tale worth going to see.
Jack Hooper (William Lodder) has just moved to a small town in Western Australia with his mother, Christie (Frances O’Connor), to start anew. On day one he finds the local go-kart track and meets soon-to-be friends Mandy (Anastasia Bampos) and Colin (Darius Amarfio Jefferson) — and future nemesis Dean (Cooper van Grootel), Mandy’s brother and the local champion. One taste of the circuit has Jack hooked, and his competitive streak — and simmering anger — send him back the next day to begin training for the upcoming local championship.
Go! never takes itself too seriously, and director Owen Trevor (whose credits include Top Gear) brings a clear love for tracks and fast machines that helps craft entertaining, readable races. His background lends a patient, story-focused approach to the set-pieces — less about manufacturing larger-than-life peril and more about what’s happening in the cockpit.
It’s the soundtrack — heavy on ’70s and ’80s cuts — that most clearly hints Trevor may be drawing from his own childhood, lulling you into a non-specific, small-town Australian nostalgia trip.
The characters are charming, a bit cheesy, and very relatable. Jack is wrestling with unspoken grief after his car-mad father’s death; Mandy is sharper than the men around her but sidelined as “the girl” in the family. Only Colin gets short-changed, stuck in a bullied-kid arc where Jack teaches him to stand up for himself — a dull trope.
At the track, owner Patrick (Richard Roxburgh) mostly hides in his trailer until Jack shows up and — in very Karate Kid fashion the film winks at — ends up training him. Roxburgh is fantastic as the gruff mentor and gets several big laughs thanks to sparkly chemistry with Lodder.
William Lodder is a fresh face with easy charm, but it’s Anastasia Bampos who, thanks to the script, gets to show the boys how it’s done and emerges as the standout new talent.
As a local cop, Dan Wyllie carries some of the film’s funniest scenes; one musical moment with Frances O’Connor had me sinking into my seat with vicarious embarrassment thanks to an enthusiastic Daryl Braithwaite rendition I don’t need to hear again any time soon.
Go! doesn’t reinvent the feel-good family movie, but it does enough small, distinctive things to stand out. It’s got laughs, a genuinely warm heart, and lovely photography that Western Australia Tourism will surely adore.
