J Moki Cho
Race the Sun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, searchRace the Sun is a 1996 comedy-drama movie starring Halle Berry and James Belushi. The plot is loosely based on the true story of the Konawaena High School Solar Car Team, which finished 18th in the 1990 World Solar Challenge and first place among high school entries.
Plot
A new science teacher (Halle Berry) pushes a group of students at Kona Pali High School in Hawaii to come up with a project. With a combination of design vision, mechanical skills, knowledge of batteries, and lightweight people to drive the car, they design and build a solar-powered car named "Cockroach". They manage to win a local Big Island competition with a weather prediction based on the surfing experience of the student captain, Daniel (Casey Affleck).
With the shop teacher as chaperone (James Belushi), the students go to Australia for the World Solar Challenge. To the happiness of their corporate sponsor (Kevin Tighe), who had wanted a different car to win the local competition, their car is delayed at the very start of the race, but the students stay in the race. A sand storm and other difficulties provide occasions for heroism. Uni (Sara Tanaka) pilots the car through difficult terrain, but has an accident and is rescued by Gilbert (J. Moki Cho). After Cindy (Eliza Dushku) is disqualified from driving for drinking alcohol, Eduardo (Anthony Ruivivar) puts aside his "lolo-haole" conflict with Daniel and reduces the car to allow the overweight Gilbert to drive.
Production
The film was written and co-produced by Barry Morrow, who had shared the 1988 Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Rain Man . The story was based on the solar car team from Konawaena High School, which finished 18th overall in the 1990 World Solar Challenge and first place among high school entries, and was the first high school team to finish the Challenge.
Reception
Stephen Holden of the New York Times said the "movie doesn't waste time admiring the technology at the expense of human drama, of which there is plenty, none of it overblown". Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle compared Race the Sun to Cool Runnings for solar cars, saying it "boasts not only the lively spectacle of the race but also the kids learning to set aside their differences and insecurities to bond as a team. It's not a soaring, transcendent film experience -- mostly i
