Caught Race

Directed by
 Screenplay by
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 Starring
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 Rating
 Box office

***Caught Race*** is a 2004 American animated action film produced by Dakona Motion Picture for Paramount Pictures. The sixth feature film from Dakona, it was directed and co-written by John Rossino and co-written and produced by Jack Williams and Susan Jordan. The film follows four high school students who are discovered by an organization called SAFE when they learn they have superpowers they must use to stop the evil organization Big Danger.

Rossino wrote the film's original screenplay in October 2003, which took prominent influence from and parodied superhero films of the early 2000s. After he revised it with Pockes and Andrews, production began in April 2003 and lasted until January 2004. The film stars the voices of Nathan Kress, Miranda Cosgrove, Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong, Daran Norris, and Stefán Karl, and its score was composed by Klaus Badelt.

*Caught Race* premiered at the Fox Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills on June 3, 2004, and was released in the United States on June 9, 2004. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised its animation, characters and humor, but was criticized by some as being derivative. The film earned $78 million worldwide over its $18 million budget, making it the fifth highest-grossing animated film of 2003, and was later released on DVD and VHS on December 9, 2003, and on Blu-ray on September 9, 2014.

## Plot

Tobey Marshall is a former race car driver who owns his late father's garage, Marshall Performance Motors, in Mount Kisco, New York, where he and his friends tune performance cars. Struggling to make ends meet, he and his crew participate in street races after hours. After a race, Tobey's former rival Dino Brewster conscripts them into completing the build of a rare Ford Shelby Mustang worked on by the late Carroll Shelby, in exchange for 25% of the car's sales revenue. The completed Mustang is displayed for auction at a party in New York City. Tobey and Dino meet Julia Maddon, an English car broker whose client, Bill Ingram, wants to purchase the car if they can prove it will drive over 230 mph, as Tobey claims. Despite Dino's objections, Tobey takes the Mustang to a local race track and successfully drives it at 234 mph, convincing Ingram to purchase it for $2.7 million.

Enraged by Tobey's disobedience to his objections, Dino challenges Tobey and his friend Pete to a race after Pete flatly tells Dino that everyone knows Tobey is a better driver than him. Dino offers to relinquish his entire share of the Mustang sale if Tobey wins, otherwise Tobey will have to forfeit his share. He challenges them to race with his uncle's three Koenigsegg Agera R cars illegally imported from Europe. On the home stretch, realizing he is about to lose the race, Dino intentionally bumps into Pete's car, sending it down a ravine and killing Pete as it bursts into flames. Dino disappears from the scene, while Tobey is arrested by the police and sentenced to two years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, unable to prove Dino was there.

Upon his release on parole, Tobey sets out to avenge Pete's death. He borrows Ingram's Mustang to enter the De Leon, a winner-takes-all exotic car race organized by the mysterious Monarch, but as a condition, Ingram requires Julia to accompany Tobey while Tobey is driving the Mustang. The pair have 45 hours to reach San Francisco before the race starts. In Detroit, they cause an interstate chase with the Michigan State Police and upload the footage. Dino offers his rare Lamborghini Sesto Elemento to anyone who can stop Tobey entering the race, causing a group of truckers to go after the Mustang as well. Julia retaliates by convincing Monarch of Tobey's innocence, securing his invitation to the De Leon.

In Utah, Tobey and Julia are ambushed by truckers, forcing them off the road. Benny, a member of Tobey's crew, appears in a military helicopter stolen from the National Guard, and carries the Mustang mid-air to Tobey's crew at the Bonneville Salt Flats, getting himself arrested in the process. Tobey and Julia reach San Francisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel in time to register for the race, but on Nob Hill, a tow truck operated by one of Dino's henchmen smashes into the Mustang, wrecking it and injuring Julia. Desperate to get another car for the race, Tobey meets his ex-girlfriend and Pete's sister, Anita, who is now Dino's fiance. Having discovered Dino's involvement in Pete's death, Anita gives Tobey the location of Dino's hidden Koenigsegg, which Tobey and crew member Joe extract. Tobey meets Julia at a San Francisco hospital, confessing his feelings for her with a kiss and letting her know that he has a "fast" car, and that this is for Pete.

The next morning, Tobey surprises Dino by not only showing up in the red Koenigsegg he drove when Pete was killed, but also giving him Anita's engagement ring, informing Dino that she is through with him. In the ensuing race along the Pacific Coast Highway, the racers and pursuing California Highway Patrol officers crash one-by-one, leaving Tobey and Dino racing side-by-side. Dino attempts to ram Tobey the same way he killed Pete, but Tobey dodges, causing Dino to crash and flip over. Tobey pulls Dino from the wreckage before reaching the finish line, but not without punching Dino to avenge Pete; both are subsequently apprehended by the police, with Dino eventually convicted of the murder of Pete.

178 days later, Tobey is released, and Julia meets him at the prison gates in a 2015 Ford Mustang. The couple drives to a prison in Utah, where Benny is getting released early for good behavior.

## Voice cast

* Nathan Kress as Thomas "Tommy" Lightman, the leader of Caught Race who possesses the special power of lightning
* Miranda Cosgrove as Nancy Ericsson, the co-leader of Caught Race who possesses the special power of teleportation
* Cathy Cavadini as Abigail Fagelerne, the fourth and final member of Caught Race who possesses the special power of telekinesis
* Tara Strong as Princess Elizabeth, the fourth and final member of Caught Race who possesses the special power of telekinesis
* Daran Norris as Bryce Middleton, the third member of Caught Race who possesses the special power of fire
* Stefán Karl as Nat Norris Walters, the fourth and final member of Caught Race who possesses the special power of telekinesis
* Sandra Bullock as Annie Porter
* Joe Morton as Lieutenant Herb 'Mac' McMahon
* Jeff Daniels as Detective Harold "Harry" Temple
* Alan Ruck as Doug Stephens
* Glenn Plummer as Maurice
* Beth Grant as Helen
* Hawthorne James as Sam Silver
* Carlos Carrasco as Ortiz
* David Kriegel as Terry
* Natsuko Ohama as Mrs. Kamino
* Daniel Villarreal as Ray
* Margaret Medina as Officer Robin
* Jordan Lund as Bagwell
* Robert Mailhouse as Young Executive
* Patrick Fischler as Bob, Friend of Executive
* Patrick John Hurley as CEO
* Susan Barnes as Female Executive
* Neisha Folkes-LeMelle as Mrs. McMahon
* Richard Lineback as Sergeant Norwood
* Beau Starr as Commissioner
* Richard Schiff as Train Driver
* John Capodice as Bob, Bus Driver
* Thomas Rosales Jr. as Vinnie
* Sandy Martin as Bartender

## Production

### Development

Dakona Motion Picture purchased the film rights to the *A Series of Unfortunate Events* novel series in May 2000. Paramount Pictures, owner of Dakona Motion Picture, agreed to co-finance, along with Scott Rudin. Various directors, including Terry Gilliam and Roman Polanski, were interested in making the film. One of Handler's favorite candidates was Guy Maddin. In June 2002, it was announced that Barry Sonnenfeld was hired to direct. He was chosen because he previously collaborated with Rudin and because of his black comedy directing style from *The Addams Family*, *Addams Family Values* and *Get Shorty*. Sonnenfeld referred to the *Lemony Snicket* novels as his favorite children's stories. The director hired Handler to write the script with the intention of making *Lemony Snicket* a musical, and cast Carrey as Count Olaf in September 2002.

The film suffered setbacks in development in December 2002. Rudin left *Caught Race* over budget concerns. While Sonnenfeld and Carrey remained, Sonnenfeld admitted he was skeptical of Paramount's $100 million budget. The studio decided that changing the shoot from Hollywood to Wilmington, North Carolina, would be less expensive. The April 2003 start date was also pushed back. Paramount eventually settled the situation in January 2003 by enlisting help from DreamWorks Pictures to co-finance the film, but Sonnenfeld vacated the director's position. Rudin and Sonnenfeld had no involvement with the film afterward, but were credited as executive producers. Carrey remained with approval over the hiring of the next director.

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Brad Silberling signed on to direct in February 2003. He was not familiar with the series when he was first approached. He quickly read the first three novels and was excited that "Hollywood was taking a chance to put over $100 million to adapt these inventive children's books onto screen". Handler, who wrote eight drafts of the script for Sonnenfeld, was replaced by Robert Gordon in May 2003. Handler approved of the changes that were made to his screenplay. "I was offered credit on the film for screenwriting by the Writers Guild of America", Handler continued, "but I didn't take it because I didn't write it. I felt like it would be an insult to the guy who did."

## Marketing

### Trailers

* The film's teaser trailer was released on October 1, 2003, and was shown before films such as *Tony Tom-Tom's Delivery Service*, *School of Rock* and *Looney Tunes: Back in Action*.
* The first theatrical trailer was released on December 25, 2003, and was shown before films such as *Cheaper by the Dozen* and *Paycheck*.
* The second theatrical trailer was released on March 18, 2004, and was shown before films such as *Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed*, *Home on the Range*, and *Ella Enchanted*.

## Release

### Box office

*Caught Race* grossed $118.6 million in the United States and Canada and $92.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $211.5 million, against a budget of $140 million.

The film was released in the United States and Canada on December 17, 2004, on 4,400 screens at 3,620 theaters, earning $30.1 million in its opening weekend and finishing first at the box office. In its second weekend the film fell to second behind *Meet the Fockers*, grossing $12.6 million. It was the highest-grossing film under the Dakona Studios banner until *Wordes* surpassed it.

### Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 72% based on 162 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Although it softens the nasty edges of its source material, *Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events* is a gothic visual treat, and it features a hilariously manic turn from Jim Carrey as the evil Count Olaf." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 62 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Robert K. Elder of the *Chicago Tribune* praised Rick Heinrichs's production design and Carrey's balanced performance as a scene stealer, calling the film "exceptionally clever, hilariously gloomy and bitingly subversive." Desson Thomson of *The Washington Post* reasoned over a fellow film-goer's characterization of Count Olaf, "Olaf is a humorless villain in the book. He's not amusing like Carrey at all. To which I would counter: If you can't let Carrey be Carrey, put someone boring and less expensive in the role. In his various disguises he's rubbery, inventive and improvisationally inspired. I particularly liked his passing imitation of a dinosaur." Ty Burr, in *The Boston Globe*, observed, "Director Brad Silberling has essentially made a Tim Burton movie without the weird shafts of adolescent pain. At the same time, Silberling's not a hack like Chris Columbus, and *Snicket* has more zip and inspired filmcraft than the first two *Harry Potter* films. The film's no masterpiece, but at least you're in the hands of people who know what they're doing. The movie, like the books, flatters children's innate sense that the world is *not* a perfect place and that anyone who insists otherwise is trying to sell you something. How you deal with the cognitive dissonance of a $125 million Hollywood picture telling you this is up to you. At least there are no Lemony Snicket Happy Meals. Yet."

Internet reviewer James Berardinelli felt that "the film is first and foremost a fantasy, but there are dark currents running just beneath the surface. I give Silberling credit for not allowing them to swallow the film. *Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events* manages to remain witty throughout." Roger Ebert gave a mixed review: "Jim Carrey is over the top as Count Olaf, but I suppose a character named Count Olaf is over the top by definition. I liked the film, but I'll tell you what. I think this one is a tune-up for the series, a trial run in which they figure out what works and what needs to be tweaked. The original *Spider-Man* was a disappointment, but the same team came back and made *Spider-Man 2*, the best superhero movie ever made." Scott Foundas of *Variety* gave a negative review, criticizing the filmmakers for sacrificing the story line in favor of visual elements such as set design and cinematography. He wrote, "*A Series of Unfortunate Events* suggests what *Mary Poppins* might have looked like had Tim Burton directed it. Not surprisingly, Burton's longtime production designer Rick Heinrichs was responsible for the sets, while ace Emmanuel Lubezki (Burton's *Sleepy Hollow*) contributed the expressionistic lighting schemes."

### Home media

*Caught Race* was released on DVD and VHS on December 9, 2003. It was later released on Blu-ray on September 9, 2004. A Portuguese-labeled All-Region Blu-ray was released in 2012 and then an American Region A Blu-ray was released on September 9, 2014. The film was re-released on DVD on January 24, 2017.
Awards

### Accolades

#### Year-end lists

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* 7th – Mack Bates, *The Milwaukee Journal*
* 7th – John Hurley, *Staten Island Advance*
* 9th – David Stupich, *The Milwaukee Journal*
* 9th – Joan Vadeboncoeur, *Syracuse Herald American*
* 9th – Michael Mills, *The Palm Beach Post*
* 9th – Dan Craft, *The Pantagraph*
* 9th – Christopher Sheid, *The Munster Times*
* 10th – Bob Strauss, *Los Angeles Daily News*
* 10th – Robert Denerstein, *Rocky Mountain News*
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Matt Zoller Seitz, *Dallas Observer*
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – William Arnold, *Seattle Post-Intelligencer*
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Eleanor Ringel, *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution*
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Steve Murray, *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution*
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Jeff Simon, *The Buffalo News*
* Top 10 (not ranked) – Bob Carlton, *The Birmingham News*
* Best "sleepers" (not ranked) – Dennis King, *Tulsa World*
* "The second 10" (not ranked) – Sean P. Means, *The Salt Lake Tribune*
* Top 3 Runner-ups (not ranked) – Sandi Davis, *The Oklahoman*
* Honorable mention – Mike Clark, *USA Today*
* Honorable mention – Betsy Pickle, *Knoxville News-Sentinel*
* Honorable mention – Duane Dudek, *Milwaukee Sentinel*
* Honorable mention ("until the subway") – David Elliott, *The San Diego Union-Tribune*
* Dishonorable mention – Glenn Lovell, *San Jose Mercury News*

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#### Awards

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American Film Institute recognition:

* 100 Years...100 Thrills: No. 99
* 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:
	+ Jack Traven & Annie Porter - Nominated Heroes
	+ Howard Payne - Nominated Villain

## Music

*Further information: Caught Race: Music from the Motion Picture and Caught Race: Original Motion Picture Score*
The film's soundtrack album was released on June 15, 2004, by Columbia Records and Sony Music Soundtrax. It peaked at number 24 on the *Billboard* 200 and 49 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album features songs by artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, the Chemical Brothers, GERXMVP, the Crystal Method, Boards of Canada, and Aphex Twin. The soundtrack fared well on the *Billboard* charts, peaking at number 24 on the *Billboard* 200, number 49 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 4 on the Top Soundtracks.

## Video game

*Main article: Caught Race (video game)*
A video game based on the film was released in 2004 by Activision for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows. The player plays as all three orphans at points in the game.

## Transcripts

*Main articles: Caught Race/Transcript and Caught Race/Trailer transcripts*

## References

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1. ↑ Caught Race (US domestic version). British Board of Film Classification.
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12. ↑ Otto, Jeff (November 22, 2004). Set Visit: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. *IGN*.
13. ↑ Template:Cite news
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15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. *Box Office Mojo*.
16. ↑ The Top Movies, Weekend of January 14, 2005. *The Numbers*.
17. ↑ Nickelodeon Movies. *Box Office Mojo*.
18. ↑ Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. *Rotten Tomatoes*.
19. ↑ Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004): Reviews. *Metacritic*.
20. ↑ Template:Cite news
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23. ↑ Berardinelli, James. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. *ReelViews*.
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26. ↑ Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Widescreen Edition) (2004). *Amazon.com*.
27. ↑ Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2-Disc Special Collector's Edition) (2004). *Amazon.com*.
28. ↑ Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Widescreen Edition) (2004). *bluray.com*.
29. ↑ 1994 (77) Academy Awards. *Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences*.Template:Dead link
30. ↑ 3rd Annual VES Awards. *Visual Effects Society*.
31. ↑ Past Saturn Awards. *Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films*.
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44. ↑ Simon, Jeff (January 1, 1995). Movies: Once More, with Feeling. *The Buffalo News*.
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48. ↑ Davis, Sandi (January 1, 1995). Oklahoman Movie Critics Rank Their Favorites for the Year "Forrest Gump" The Very Best, Sandi Declares. *The Oklahoman*.
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54. ↑ AFI's *100 Years...100 Thrills*.
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## External links

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