Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

The Art of Racing in the Rain Blu-ray Movie Review

Look who's woofing.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 5, 2019

So-called “cat people” probably need not apply to be a viewer of The Art of Racing in the Rain, since the film is an unabashed love letter to the animal that has rightly (in this unapologetic dog lover’s opinion) been called man’s best friend, in this instance a sweet Golden Retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner, in a conceit that some may find sweet, and others appallingly annoying). That same dichotomy of responses may in fact be mirrored with regard to The Art of Racing in the Rain as a whole, with dog lovers perhaps more willing to afford the film at least a bit more slack in terms of what others (not necessarily limited only to those dastardly cat lovers mentioned above) may perceive as a way too maudlin and cloying enterprise that features (minor spoiler alert) both canine and human mortality as central plot points.

Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia) is a race car enthusiast and would be professional driver, and the fact that this story features a (human) hero with that surname working in that capacity may tell you all you need to know about nuance and subtext in this film. The Art of Racing in the Rain is arguably told pretty explicitly from the viewpoint of Enzo, however, including in the opening sequence which starts by putting the viewer’s heartstrings in a chokehold (if I may be permitted to mix corporeal metaphors), again completely (and probably unapologetically) devoid of any subtlety.

Suffice it to say that the film begins at the end, so to speak, and then flashes back to document the happy day Denny met Enzo, from which a lifelong bond was seemingly instantly forged. Denny ends up meeting and then marrying Eve (Amanda Seyfried), and soon enough after that Zoe (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) comes along, but the film attempts to work up at least a little conflict due to the fact that Denny's racecar driving ambitions keep him on the road (no pun intended). By the time Enzo senses something seriously wrong with Eve, the film again kind of apologetically wallows in the sadness of a terminal illness affecting one member of a marriage, something that of course is no stranger to heartstrings in a chokehold centered films.

The film unfortunately decides to stay in pretty relentlessly melodramatic territory even after a death, with Denny having to contend with initially villainous in-laws who just as magically “repent” (or something similar), allowing for a momentary happy ending, before events return to where they started, which, as hinted at before, are perilously close to that “rainbow bridge” that pet lovers often write about. That turns out to be but a way station, however, in the film’s tip o’ the hat toward eastern mysticism and reincarnation.

Considering this arguably treacly piece's emphasis on mortality, it kind of ironically tends to play like a Lifetime made for television movie a lot of the time. Performances are generally winning, even if the "instant on / instant off" nature of the in-laws' supposed villainy means that Gary Cole and Kathy Baker can't do much with those characterizations. The dogs playing Enzo are extremely cute and evidently very well trained.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf evidently liked The Art of Racing in the Rain even less than I did (maybe he's one of those cat people, and of course I'm joking). You can read Brian's thoughts here.

The Art of Racing in the Rain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Art of Racing in the Rain is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The IMDb lists a variety of Arri Alexa models as having been used on the shoot, and maybe just a little surprisingly, is also showing that this was finished at a 4K DI. There's an appealing naturalness to much of the imagery here, and fine detail levels tend to be nicely heightened throughout the presentation, with elements like Enzo's fur nicely precise looking. There's an absence of any overt grading (at least to my eyes), though a number of interior scenes have a somewhat buttery yellow look which blends well with Enzo's fur color. Shadow detail can be just a trifle lacking in some dimly lit inside material. Some "cutesy" POV shots, especially some taken from cars, look slightly soft at times, something that may in fact simply be perception since things are moving by so quickly. One establishing shot looked like it may have been captured with something lower res like a drone without full 1080p capability, but otherwise this is a very sharp and well detailed looking transfer which my hunch is will easily please fans. As usual with Fox Blu-ray releases, I noticed no compression anomalies of any kind.

The Art of Racing in the Rain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Art of Racing in the Rain features a nicely propulsive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track that provides quite a bit of sonic energy, along with some well done panning effects, in some of the driving and/or racetrack activity. A glut of outdoor scenes also offer well placed ambient environmental sounds, but even some of the more cloistered interior material can offer discrete placement of individual environmental effects. Enzo's "voiceover" is anchored front and center most of the time, though occasional other dialogue can be more directional. All dialogue and narration is delivered cleanly and clearly without any problems whatsoever.

The Art of Racing in the Rain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Journey to Screen (1080p; 5:48) is a standard issue EPK, though with some sweet shots of the dog.


• Directing the Art (1080p; 5:09) features director Simon Curtis among other talking heads.


• Enzo Cam (1080p; 4:39) shows how various POV shots were done.


• Behind the Wheel (1080p; 6:12) looks at some of the racecar content.


• The Dog Stays in the Picture (1080p; 6:19) has even more great canine footage.


• Enzo's First Ride (1080p; 5:24) focuses on dogs and racecars.


• Commentary by Simon Curtis


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:12)

The Art of Racing in the Rain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a kind of sad bit of "review synchronicity", my wife and I are just now dealing with what seems to be the impending demise of our 13 year old dog. If you're one of those who, like me with my wife and kids and even like me with my own family growing up, always pretty much accepted your pet dog as just another family member, you'll most likely enjoy The Art of Racing in the Rain, despite the fact that you may well be aware of just how completely you're being manipulated by its tale (tail?). I'm splitting the difference here in terms of my official score for the film, since I realize my own built in biases toward loving dogs probably gave me license (sorry) to forgive this film for some of its more trite proclivities. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package appealing for those considering a purchase.