Race the Sun (1996)

A bunch of high school misfits in Hawaii, introduced by their new teacher, attend a science fair in which they draw up inspiration to build their own solar car and win a trip to compete in ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles T. Kanganis

Writer:

Barry Morrow

Stars:

Halle Berry, Casey Affleck, Eliza Dushku

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Halle Berry	...	Miss Sandra Beecher
Casey Affleck	...	Daniel Webster
Eliza Dushku	...	Cindy Johnson
Kevin Tighe	...	Jack Fryman
Anthony Ruivivar	...	Eduardo Braz
Steve Zahn	...	Hans Kooiman
Dion Basco	...	Marco Kito
J. Moki Cho	...	Gilbert Tutu
Nadja Pionilla	...	Oni Nagano
Adriane Napualani Uganiza	...	Luana Kanahele
Sara Tanaka	...	Uni Kakamura
Bill Hunter	...	Commissioner Hawkes
James Belushi	...	Frank Machi
Robert Hughes
Jeff Truman

Storyline

A bunch of high school misfits in Hawaii, introduced by their new teacher, attend a science fair in which they draw up inspiration to build their own solar car and win a trip to compete in the 1990 World Solar Challenge in Australia.

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Plot Keywords:

hawaii | australia | teacher | car | teenager | 

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Taglines:

A dream can make all the difference under the sun.

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Genres:

Drama | Adventure | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and a brief incident of teen drinking

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

La compétition

Filming Locations:

Waialua, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$1,700,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the science fair, Marco calls the students from the competing team mahu(s) which is the Hawaiian word for homosexuals.

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Goofs

When introducing herself to the students, Ms. Beecher prints her name on the blackboard. It repeatedly changes between printed and cursive throughout the scene.

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Soundtracks

"Timeless Land"
Performed by Yothu Yindi

User Reviews

Nice Little Film

For curious movie buffs, "Race the Sun" is a blend of "Breaking Away", "Walkabout", and "Summer School"; making it quite unique and considerably better than its rating. It's neither ambitious nor technically brilliant; in fact the cinematography somehow manages to NOT capture the inherent scenic beauty of a series of Hawaiian and Australian locations. But the casting and directing are solid and the story has so much charm that you don't mind it being corny and predictable.

Halle Berry and James Belushi play teachers at a Hawaiian technical high school who reluctantly sponsor a team of students building a solar-powered car. "Race the Sun" was inspired by a group of Hawaiian students who actually entered the World Solar Challenge in 1980. The film would have been better if the cartoonish corporate villain had been replaced by some actual scientific explanations and a bit of background on the race itself. Speaking of cartoons, the solar cars look like something out of "Wacky Races" but there is no sign of Penelope Pitstop in this entertaining race.

The school is in Hawaii, which makes for some interesting cultural details (as does the race's Austrialian setting), but for viewer identification purposes the settings could be anywhere.

Thankfully the film avoids a couple of obvious traps. Berry and Belushi end up liking and respecting each other but there are no obligatory romantic sparks between them. Likewise for Casey Affleck and Elisha Dushku-who plays his step-sister.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.