'Madison' rides with hydroplanes, Hoosiers and small-town pride

Madison (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)

Jim McCormick James Caviezel

Mike McCormick Jake Lloyd

Bonnie McCormick Mary McCormack

Harry Volpi Bruce Dern

Skip Reed Diamond

Buddy Richard Lee Jackson

Audrey Jane Galloway

Tami Kristina Anapau

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents a film directed by William Bindley.Written by William Bindley and Scott Bindley. Running time: 94minutes. Rated PG (for some mild language and sports peril). Openingtoday at local theaters.

What is it about Indiana that inspires movies about small-towndreamers who come from behind to win? William Bindley's "Madison,"the story of a town that races its own hydroplane on the Ohio River,joins "Breaking Away" (a bicycle race), "Hoosiers" (high schoolbasketball) and "Rudy" (local boy is too small to play football forNotre Dame, but that doesn't stop him). All four stories are inspiredby fact; maybe that has something to do with it. A story about BobbyKnight would of course have to be based on fiction.

As "Madison" opens in 1971, times are hard for the town, which wasonce the busiest port above New Orleans and one of the richest citiesin the state. Factories are closing, people are moving to big citiesto find work, and although Madison is the only town to enter its ownboat in the Madison Regatta, things look grim for this year's race.

The boat is "Miss Madison," an Unlimited Hydroplane (I think thatmeans anything goes with engines and speed). The Madison Regatta hasbeen held since 1950; local businessman Jim McCormick (Jim Caviezel)used to pilot the boat, but retired after an injury 10 years earlier.

Now he is suddenly needed again, by the town and the boat, andcomes out of retirement to the pride of his son Mike (Jake Lloyd),and the concern of his wife Bonnie (Mary McCormack), who like so manymovie wives frets that her spouse is either (a) going to get killed,or (b) not be home for dinner.

Miss Madison's engine has exploded during a time trial and theboat itself is seriously damaged. It looks as if the town will nothave an entry in the very year it hosts the famous annual race, butthen Mike and his crew go to work. They need a new engine and can'tafford one, so under cover of darkness they slip off to a nearby townand steal the engine from an airplane displayed in the courthousesquare. Without being a mechanic, I am fairly sure such an engine, ifit were indeed still in the plane, would be filled with dead leavesand hornets' nests and would need more than a trip through Jiffy-Lube, but never mind: It purrs right along on race day.

For the town, meanwhile, the race is heaven-sent. It provides aboost for civic morale, keeps a few more citizens from moving away,attracts tourist dollars and television publicity, and gives everyonea chance to sit on the river banks in their lawn chairs with theirpicnic baskets. Much of this is made possible by Mayor Don Vaughn(Paul Dooley, who played the father in "Breaking Away"). He shiftssome city funds, probably illegally, to find the money to back MissMadison.

As sporting events go, hydroplane racing is prettystraightforward. The powerful boats race around a river course,making lots of waves and noise. Some of the boats have commercialsponsors, and one of the unique elements in "Madison" is negativeproduct placement. One of the boats has "Budweiser" written all overit, and much is made about the rich and high-powered brewery team,but they're the bad guys and we want to see Bud lose to Miss Madison.

The cast is stalwart. Jim Caviezel, who made this movie in his pre-"Passion" days, is a salt of the earth small-town dad who shares asecret with his son: A hidden cave that's "one of the special thingsabout where we live." Mary McCormack, as wife and mother, is stuckwith the obligatory speech "You have a choice to make -- me or theboat." But after she pays her dues with that tired line, she perks upand brings some sunshine into the movie. There is also sadness, whichI will not reveal, except to say that driving one of these boatsmight be a good way to compete for the Darwin Award.

Who else? Oh: Bruce Dern. He's the expert mechanic who can turnaround a stolen antique airplane engine in 24 hours. I saw him notlong ago while revisiting "After Dark, My Sweet" (1993) and was happyto see him again. He has a way of chewing his dialogue as if he wantsto savor it first before sharing it with us.