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Actors (from left) Frank Knapp, Brent Briscoe, Jim Caviezel and Jake Lloyd are shown in a scene from "Madison." The movie, filmed in Madison, Ind., and Los Angeles, is based on the story of a man's personal victory in a 1971 hydroplane regatta. -- Photo provided by MGM Studios   Madison • Cast: Jim Caviezel, Jake Lloyd, Mary McCormack • Locations: AMC Clearwater, Greenwood Park; Georgetown Stadium 14; Kerasotes Showplace 12, Showplace 16, Traders Point; Legacy; Loews College Park; Regal Shiloh, Village Park; UA Galaxy. • Running time: 98 minutes. • Rating: PG; some mild language and sports peril.

Everybody loves an underdog. And in the movie "Madison," there are plenty of them to go around.

Taking many liberties and bending reality to heighten the comedy and drama, "Madison" tells the story of the community-owned 1971 Miss Madison hydroplane -- the little boat that could -- and how those who believed in her and in themselves pulled off an almost impossible victory. It's also a father-son story, a husband-wife story, and a film about a riverside town (Madison, Ind.) burdened by a dying economy.

It's a movie that one of the actors on the press junket in Madison last Sunday referred to as "Hoosiers on the Water."

Well, not quite. Directed by William Bindley and co-written with brother Scott Bindley, both formerly of Indianapolis, "Madison" has some rough spots.

But it's a decent family film, starring Jim Caviezel as Jim McCormick, driver of Miss Madison and the man who worked hard to keep it in the running for the 1971 Gold Cup hydroplane race held that year in Madison.

Although he has been seen in more than a half-dozen films in the last five years, including "The Passion of the Christ" and "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius," "Madison" was filmed first, primarily in Madison and Los Angeles.

Jake Lloyd, 16, the young Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," was still a kid when the film was shot. He plays Mike McCormick, Jim's son, who believes in his father but isn't entirely sure that Miss Madison can win the big race, especially after a series of racing setbacks and personal confrontations with a snotty kid connected to the high-powered and well-financed Miss Budweiser team. The story is seen through his eyes, with grown-up voice-over supplied by John Mellencamp.

Watching Lloyd is like watching a young, having-a-bad-day Ron Howard on the "Andy Griffith Show."

Caviezel, hair oiled and parted on the side, is convincing as McCormick, a family man being pulled in different directions by his wife, his son and Miss Madison. His desire to make the hydroplane a winner drives a wedge between McCormick and his wife Bonnie (Mary McCormack). But while there is tension in the McCormick household, there also is plenty of love.

Along with the drama, the movie has a comic side.

Mark Fauser, who lives in Marion, plays Travis, a goofy helper in the Miss Madison garage. In one scene, several of the team members travel to Columbus to "borrow" a part from an old military plane. In another, McCormick bluffs his way through a town meeting, rousing the community with a story that stretches the truth and gains support for hosting the Gold Cup in Madison. (Although the film makes it look like selling tickets to the race was difficult, that wasn't the case.)

After many disappointments and bone-wearying hours spent working on the ancient boat, McCormick and his crew do the impossible. They put Miss Madison into the race, and with the help of a legal but dangerous modification to the boat, they quiet disbelievers.

Bruce Dern gives a lively and crusty performance as Harry Volpi, a one-time hydroplane mechanical wizard who is called into service. Paul Dooley ("Breaking Away," "Waiting for Guffman") is warmly familiar as the town's mayor, and Brent Briscoe ("The Green Mile") plays the strong and supportive Tony Steinhardt, team manager for Miss Madison. Former Indianapolis Colts player Dean Biasucci plays an ABC Television reporter, and a good number of townspeople have small parts.

"Madison" is an independent film, but the lensing by James Glennon ("About Schmidt") gives it a rich look; the natural beauty of the southern Indiana area resembles a postcard, and the boat races are exciting to watch.

There are fewer and fewer films these days suitable for children, parents and grandparents. This is one for all ages.

Call Star reporter Bonnie Britton at (317) 444-6258.

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