I'm not surprised by this horrendous movie. It is tough to make a realistic racing movie, but the directors could have at least done their homework on how it all works. One scene that sticks out at the end is they are waving the checkered flag, yet saying 1 lap to go. John Travolta must have done this a favor because it is absolute trash. Don't waste your time.
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charleskyleblack10 August 2019
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nogodnomasters29 May 20191970's style race film. Predictable. Cliche writing.
John Travolta and Michael Madsen leave their Tarantino personas behind and do a watered down production. Madsen is the antagonist who isn't that bad of a guy. The film is more Hallmark style drama than racing.
Guide: Couple of F-words. No sex or nudity. -
itsbobr22 May 2019Sam Munro (John Travolta) legendary race driver and now retired wants his son Cam (Toby Sebastian) to succeed him in racing, but Cam rebels and goes to Sam's arch rival Linsky (Michael Madsen) in the hopes of winning races and says his father's equipment is outdated.
So the stage is set for this very bland movie with conflicts between father and son. You know where this is going all along the way and you will not be disappointed. Very bland. Maybe a good made-for-tv movie.
The racing scenes are not among the most exciting seen compared to other race car movies. Yes, one crash accident is purely a set up. I have watched other car racing movies and have never heard the expression "trading paint" until now. Is that a thing?
The acting is fine, but since you know where this will go, you don't really care. We have no idea why Shania Twain as Becca, Sam's love interest, is in this movie, but she did okay. I got a kick out of Michael Madsen's standing around or strutting at times. Was he channeling someone, Elvis maybe or Richard Petty? Who knows?
Notables: Kevin Dunn as Stumpy, Sam's mechanic; Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Cam's wife, Cindy; Barry Corbin as Sheriff Buck Taylor.
So not much to this movie and you could probably do your Christmas cards as you watch. (Hey, that's not a bad idea) Absolutely nothing stood out. (5/10)
Violence: One punch thrown and a car crash. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Humor: No. Language: one or two F-bombs but sounded muffled. Rating: C -
baronvonsteve24 February 2022Take the plot of Days of Thunder then remove all the action and intriguing characters. Add some mediocre cinematography, direction, and editing and you have this waste of time. Travolta can act but what he is doing in such a film is a mystery. I hope his debt is now payed to whoever convinced him to participate in such a piece of... The rest of the cast is wooden and two dimensional as they whisper and growl through their lines. Don't waste your time.
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xenafan4026 February 2019If a movie doesnt draw me in by 20 minutes or so, it most likely won't. i gave this one till halfway point, which was enough for me. Travolta seems to be doing a string of pointless low standard movies, and michael madsen hasn't been in a decent one for years, that should have been an alarm bell. Thought i recognized shania twain , although i hadn't known she was in it prior. Scenes with her were lifeless to wooden, she's no lady gaga. all in all, a pointless movie, unrealistic, zero substance, uninteresting, lifeless scenes and acting...yawn give it a miss.
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andrewhardie-8622322 July 2019Despite the top heavy big names , this film is a car wreck ( something else it lacked ) A racing film with no racing, just a bunch of cars going around a track at what looked like below city traffic speed , let alone an A grade 900 horsepower dirt speedway race speed ! You know ! Cars sideways , dirt spewing from the rear tyres . None of that ! Predictable drama and a lacklustre script . Capable actors let down by cheap production. Paid $6 to hire it on PlayStation store , and I feel ripped off.
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VanBooter28 May 2019When I saw the ratings and reviews I thought sureley it can't be that bad, so out to prove if only to myself it wasn't I rolled the tape. I didn't need to go far into this one to realise I was witnessing the hatching of a Turkey. Made for Television best sums up this drec of a movie, that's not saying it's a good MFT movie because it's not, but at least viewers won't feel the pain of shelling out ticket money. My attention was tranfixed (this is how bad it was) on Travoltas obvious hair piece, is it a hair piece or graft I wondered, does he need to water it and add fertilizer, does he take it off at night, why does he even bother which is ironic really because why even bother just about sums up my review on Trading Paint
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hawkproductionllc23 July 2019I should have read others reviews first. This movie was a complete waste of time. Acting was horrible. Story line was a joke. So disappointed in John Travolta for taking on this film.
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Top_Dawg_Critic26 February 2019...you enjoy seeing cars go around and around a track. This was a decent C-grade novice production that I'm guessing Travolta did someone a favor in starring in. The director and both writers have little experience, and it shows in this film with flimsy writing and poor directing of the cast. The acting was decent considering, and it was great to see the lovely Shania Twain in her first full length feature film, and she did quite well. Travolta nailed it as did Toby Sebastian, and the rest of the cast were all convincing in their roles, although some of the redneck Alabama accents seemed out of place. The camera work was good, the films length and pacing decent, but the story lacked anything memorable. Not a bad film if you're into this type of racing in the Alabama backwoods of Talladega. For a novice C-grade film, it wasn't great nor bad, considering some of the bigger production films that have come out lately that were garbage. It's a well deserved 6/10 from me.
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galahad58-123 May 2019Not a very good movie. A movie that has the most ridiculous side story I have ever seen - a back water racing track where one competitor tries to kill (or seriously cause a permanent injury) to another driver over a low pay, hobby racing track. It is as ridiculous as someone trying to kill someone to win the office softball league.
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mariaduvalzd7 March 2019It was a great family movie and your typical race car movie. I personally loved it.
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I've read some of the reviews and do say that some were pretty brutal. This wasn't a movie about saving the world or fighting some oversized monster but a family struggling after a tragic event. John Travolta gives a good performance here but he is after all a great actor. It's been awhile since I've seen Michael Madsen in a decent movie let alone give a decent performance. And Shania Twain and Toby Sebastian hold their own against Travolta.
The movie tries to avoid being predictable and does a decent job at it. The end is a bit far fetched as it could never happen in reality. The one scene that was foreseen was a wreck halfway through but for the most it avoided predictability best it could. Could they have had a stronger story, well it wouldn't have hurt but what they had got it's point across without dragging out the movie.
This movie doesn't try to prove itself or dwell on the promise of the movie. Unlike "Days Of Thunder" where they show the two lead characters played by (Ton Cruise and Michael Rooker) and feel the need to remind us every few minutes. Here it shows the two leads (John Travolta and Michael Madsen) hate each other and moves on with the story. This isn't however a movie about racing but a movie about a son trying to live up to the expectations of his dad. It's about a dad who wants his son to be the best but not give up. It's about a father and son learning how to communicate better and lean on each other. It's about how one thing goes wrong and the son throws the towel in. It's about goals and reaching them along with the struggles and hardships along the way.
John Travolta gives a good performance but then again he's a good actor, Kevin Dunn and Michael Rooker held their own against Travolta. Shania Twain in her first role was good, not the best but good. Toby Sebastian was I felt the standout in this movie. I see him going places and growing in his profession.
Though I did give it 7 out of 10 star's as the movie fails to allow it's actor's to dig into scenes that could have boosted the movie's overall message. It's not based around racing but based around winning, letting go of the past and about pride. You see racing scene's but the movie isn't about that but about building as a family after tragedy strike's. That's where the movie failed and why I gave it 7 star's. -
williamwarren-3781523 May 2019Sorry this movie is not very good acting was phony and not good at all don't waste your hard earned money on this one!
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imseeg26 February 2020Started out promising. Could not understand the low rating during the first 10 minutes. Nicholas Cage and Michael Madsen are powerhouse actors, even in their old age. The story from the start is straightforward simple, no problem with that. BUT the other actors look like cardboard and act accordingly. No spark, no punch. It's not that it's bad, but after half an hour it simply is lacking, LACKING punch, suspense, wit, originality, quality...
Could still be a nice flick for race car fans, but why not watch the excellent "Ford vs Ferrari" instead? Matt Damon and Christian Bale DO excite the viewer... -
shacmasta18 June 2019I'm a sucker for once A-List movie stars who find themselves in roles strictly for a paycheck. From Travolta to Willis to Cusack...I watch them all.
Trading Paint isn't bad it's just boring. You'll end up having the film play in the background while looking at your phone. It's a muddled mess. The plot moves along with no real purpose. You can never truly get invested in anyone or care for anyone and by the time you know it the film is over and you just move on with your life. -
TheCarpooler12 August 2019We watched this movie on a whim based on the preview. Low expectations, really. We enjoyed it for what it is: a small budget action/drama with quite a few former A and B celebs continuing to work in the industry. A little cheesy and choppy at times, it's well acted. Racing scenes are done pretty well, even if the driver's visors don't get during a race. It's worth 90 minutes.
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burlesonjesse55 March 2019Parodied character names like Sam "The Man" Munroe and Bob "Lead Foot" Linsky. The gorgeous Shania Twain phoning in her love interest performance as if she were the spokeswoman for Simple Mobile. The cheesiest sports commentary since the Ben-Hur-style pod race in The Phantom Menace. An ending too fanciful for words. It's all here in Trading Paint (my latest review). Let's just call "Paint" Days of "Blunder" shall we.
Anyway, Trading Paint takes place in Alabama and was filmed in Alabama. Its production values basically consist of going to a small rural town, turning on the Panavision camera, and quickly yelling action! As for "Paint's" story, well it's about minor league dirt car racing, like father, like son racing, and rivalry racing all rolled up into one. The scenes where the stock cars are barreling down the speedway seem anti-climatic, underwhelming, pedestrian, and few and far between. Somewhere Cole Trickle is shaking his head in embarrassment while sipping some hardcore Tennessee moonshine.
Trading Paint, which comes off like 1990's Days of Thunder on a shoestring budget (see first paragraph), feels insignificant, predictable, and incredibly small-scale. I give the filmmakers a little credit for trying to install a dramatic narrative as opposed to just relying on built sedans violently rubbing up against each other (hence the name of the movie). Still, "Paint" veers into straight-to-video territory real quick. Look there's "Paint" star John Travolta harboring little integrity, sporting his umpteenth hairpiece, and spewing more weirdo southern accents than Jim Nabors (how noble of him). And look, there's co-star Michael Madsen channeling his inner, uber-villain while trying to be relevant again (uh what the heck happened to this dude's career and speaking voice?).
Bottom line: Loved the catchy title of this film. Loved seeing Shania in tight jeans. Didn't really like Karzan Kader's cut corners direction. Didn't really like "Paint" in general. Sadly, Trading Paint is gearhead "finger-paint". Rating: 1 and a half stars. -
lunny-692573 March 2019A shame really film had good potential and could have been decent instead it felt like there were bits missing The acting was ok unlike some films of a low rating I believe the film's structure could have veen sculpted and a more dramatic and that music at the end when cam Monroe wins was very amature film making Was no days of thunder and that's not a great movie but it's got the edge of your seat factor because I want coke trickle to win after his accident This just lacks that something again could have been s decent film a remake should be Having john t in it as well should have been. Awesome
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usaokie23 July 2019This is far from an all time great film. That said, I enjoyed watching from start to finish. I'm a sucker for sports/competition movies. This one did not disappoint.
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markthomassintek12 March 2019REVIEW - TRADING PAINT
John Travolta has made so many great films; Gotti The Taking of Pellham 123 Hairspray Battlefield Earth Face Off Phenomenon Broken Arrow Get Shorter Pulp Fiction
I came across his latest and just had to give it a viewing.
Basically it's a story of a father and son who race cars and how the frustration of the son not winning a race makes him go and drive for another team.
Of course his father John Travolta doesn't like this and they fall out.
It's ok I'm not giving away any spoilers.
Things happen and the usual happy ending happens but along the way what could have been a good film is lost in boring dialogue and story.
For me personally (I tend to notice small things) things like saying there is 1 lap to go and then the checkered flag is waved, saying it's the terrible engine in the car that's just not good enough and then John Travolta getting into the exact same car and winning, small things ruin a film for me.
My biggest gripe is very simple, I'll explain. As a parent if your close with your child and do things together if one day they say I've got my own life now I want to do something different or even the same activity but with someone else as a parent you accept that, it may hurt but you know as a patent there comes a time when you have to let go. You wouldn't go into competition with them as in this film, because of this the whole story didn't sit right with me. Ok there is a happy ending but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.
As we have seen recently a number of actors have taken roles just for the money, or that's the impression you get from watching their lack luster performance and unfortunately this is how it feels with John Travolta in this.
So far there are definitely 2 films made recently by John Travolta that I'd advise you to avoid, this and Speed Kills.
Cone on John, care about what you do and stop accepting to do stuff you obviously don't.
Rating 4 out of 10 -
jewellclemons24 February 2019If I am going to be honest the movie was an alright movie. A couple videography glitches and a few screw ups on the track but it kept pace and Travolta and Twain made a good main character with great co-actors. I would give it a B+ all over
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mc_figueiredo3 March 2019Its worth to watch the movie for some reasons :
1. A new screening partnership with Shania Twain
2. The race scenes are Ok
3. The second movie from his own producer JTP
but this movie is too far even from the movies from Travolta career rebirth -
piratejimbo10 March 2019I truly am disappointed that John seems to take any role offered to him now.
John, I'm sorry, but this film didn't deserve to have you in it. This was way way too predictable and the excitement level was dismal at the best times. I would not give this better than a 3 rating. -
alanator-554047 July 2020Look I love a good dirt track racing movie and I think there should be way more of them I see it to be untapped potential but a movie like this gives it bad wraps, the CGI on the smoke when the engine blows is completely trash, woulda cost less to shove a smoke grenade in there and it still would have looked better, they added way to much dust effect for Talladega, not to mention the drivers are not spattered with dirt and their helmets are completely clean, you never see the tear offs floating through the sky, no window nets inside the car just small thing where if they actually cared about it would have made it so much better, it practically free to do everything I mentioned, if the cars are actually going around the track just have the drivers actually use their tear offs, window nets are already there, also no harness for the head from what I could see its just plain sad to see a movie that had good potential plummet
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The interaction between father and son was so maudlin and sappy I thought I was watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. We all new they'd win the final race, they always do, but give us a story. Down and out, not enough to money to compete against the big boys, finds the money, wins the race, smiles all around. Like watching the movie Titanic, we all knew the ship sank, and we all knew they'd win. Kevin Dunn's "Stumpy" was the only character I even remotely cared about. But I watched it, all...the....way......through. Only thing missing from this wanna be Hallmark fare, it didn't snow!