Films about following your dreams are a standard Hollywood cliché, but when they are as expertly realized as Bill Bindley's sparkling feature debut, Madison, the cliché blossoms into heartfelt inspiration. Anchored by a stalwart performance by Jim Caviezel, Madison is based on the true story of a dying river town in Indiana, which in 1971 succeeded in becoming the host for the Gold Cup of hydroplane boat racing. Competing on the racing circuit requires deep-pocketed sponsorships and top-of-the-line technology and equipment. Jim McCormick (Caviezel), even though he's now a father with a family to support and has a steady job, has never abandoned his dream of piloting the community-owned Miss Madison to victory in the sport's biggest event. Alas, the economic struggles of this trade-diminished municipality have severely crimped its level of support. But faced with the opportunity to welcome the prestigious championship, McCormick wins, or more correctly hustles, the town's backing and, despite the misgivings of his wife and a sizable percentage of his neighbors, undertakes to race Miss Madison and compete with the big boys. As told through the eyes of McCormick's son Mike (Jake Lloyd), Madison is classic, quality filmmaking that reaffirms traditional American values like ingenuity, perseverance, guts, and determination and offers a stirring finale that can't help but rouse your emotions. With superb production values and splendid characterizations, Bindley celebrates the passion we all share for battles against the odds. — Geoffrey Gilmore

This review is courtesy of The Sundance Film Festival.
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