A good family movie, give or take some septuagenarian sex

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2010)

A charming but perhaps a bit too long road picture, The World's Fastest Indian tells the true story of Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins), a New Zealand man who spent 25 years dreaming of a chance to go faster than any man ever had. He wants to take his 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle and race it during Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and he's not going to let being 30 years older than every other racer there or living on the New Zealand equivalent of Social Security stop him.
Munro is what you could call an old duffer. He doesn't have a house but sleeps on a cot in a tool shed. He never mows his lawn, gets fresh eggs from his chicken coop and pees on his lemon tree every morning. Everybody in his small home town likes him, especially the boy who lives next door and hangs around as Burt constantly works on his cycle. The 1960s New Zealand of Burt Munro is very much like we used to think of small town Iowa before it started to die out, a nice place of nice people who are nice to each other. The town even tries to raise money to help Burt afford his trip to America, but he eventually has to mortgage his property to pay for it.
Once in the U.S., Burt has to make his way from the California coast to Utah. His travels lead him to meet a transvestite hotel clerk, a Mexican used car salesmen, an Indian who helps him after he breaks down on the side of the road and a woman who gives him her bed to sleep in. And while Burt is a kind and decent fellow, you can sense that people respond to him because of his quiet sense of purpose.
Like all great quests, there are obstacles in his way. Accidents and regulations and police officers and a bit of a heart condition. No problem is ever too terrible or too threatening, though. And unlike many movie quests, but just like most real life journeys, Burt doesn't get through it on his own. Without the help and goodwill of the people he meets, Burt would never get a chance to see just how fast his old motorcycle could go.
This is a charming and decidedly uncynical film, highlighted by Hopkins' performance. This isn't the sort of character most would associate him with. Burt Munro is a simple and earthy man whose life is enveloped by his desire for speed. As a young man, he might have been a bit difficult to deal with but age has tempered him and stripped him of the ego that might have sharpened his eccentricities to an edge. His desire to race isn't a compulsion. It's a spot on the horizon he'd just like to reach.
Normally, The World's Fastest Indian would be considered a family film. And, outside of Burt getting lucky a couple of times, it fits into that categoryso, depending on your attitude toward septuagenarian promiscuity, this might be a wonderful movie for parents and kids to watch together. This is a pleasant story that believes people are basically good and that success is achieved through the consideration of others. There are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours.