# Why all the hate for Cars? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299 "2009-11-29T02:24:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/41 "2009-11-29T18:50:59Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > If you didn’t like that element of _Robin Hood_ - the fact that it was a bizarre mash-up of English and rural American accents - fine. To me, it’s one of the things that makes the movie more charming, but I can get behind a legitimate distaste for that element of the film. But Pat Buttram is infinitely more tolerable to me than Larry the fucking Cable Guy. The mislocated accent didn’t bother me as much as the fact that the Pat Buttram accent (quintessential Southern) personified the half-wit hick who was going to look like an idiot by the end of the movie. It’s just another crappy bit of shorthand, like Larry the Cable Guy. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/42 "2009-11-29T19:09:50Z")
I like the movie and love that they got Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher, Richard Petty and Junior to do voices. But it drags in the middle with too much of “arrogant young hot shot learns about life in the sticks”. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/43 "2009-11-29T19:17:35Z")
I have tried to watch it 3 times and fell asleep each time. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/44 "2009-11-29T19:45:26Z")
Cars misfired on so many levels. For me the strongest disconnect was between an eery, Ballardian, post-apocalyptic world where all human life had obviously been wiped out, and the bizarre idea that a post-human machine civilization would not only be apparently unaware of the devastating tragedy of their human creators, but would include such things as the voice of Larry the Cable Guy. Classic surrealism, but stupider. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/45 "2009-11-29T19:47:47Z")
That gave me a good laugh. A Ballardian _Cars_ would have been great. Complete with giant billboards with flashing lights that subliminally transmit messages encouraging the purchase of consumer goods like cigarettes and infrared barbecue spits. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/46 "2009-11-29T19:52:24Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Actually, after _Cars_ came out, my friends and I amused ourselves by joking about how formulaic the whole anthropomorphic-objects-with-stunt-casted-voices and stereotyped personalities thing was, and ultimately conceived a parody film of it, which we called _Money._ It was about various random denominations of paper and coin currency from around the world, who were about to be phased out in favor of newer, slicker versions. The rag-tag team of money - including a wise old $5 Lincoln bill, a spunky Mexican dollar with the voice of a cholo, a snotty but good-hearted Franc who’s constantly bickering with an English Pound, and others - would assemble to wage a guerrilla war against the evil World Bank, led by the villainous Credit Card (who ultimately threatens the existence of all cash) with a plan that’s SO CRAZY IT JUST MIGHT WORK! Mr. **Towers** , I enjoyed that post. And **Least Original** , I also enjoyed the South Park [Rob Schneider](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYsUSBG0BN4)link? ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/47 "2009-11-29T23:45:20Z")
At first, I was completely turned off by this film. It seemed like such an obvious merchandising scheme (“OOh, lots of kids like to play with cars! Let’s make a movie about CARS! Think of all them toys we could sell and money we could make!”), and then when I saw it, I found it all pretty Meh. Then, when my obsessed-with-vehicles-since-10mos-then-20-month-old son had to stay home with the flu while I was still recovering from back surgery (and thus unable to chase after him), I saw it was on Encore. I turned it on for him while he lay on my reclining body on the couch. After the opening scene, where everything is black and Lightning says, “Speed. I am speed,” followed by the blur of racing cars before going back to black for continued narration, my son immediately signed and said, “More! More! More!” (Heh heh, easy son, there’s 115min “more” coming.) Ever since, he has been captivated by this film. I have seen in scores of times since, mostly in parts (rarely does he watch entire length movies), and I have come to appreciate it more as time has passed. The artwork, the humor, the storyline…it’s all grown on me. Son 1.0 is now 3 1/2 years old and stil loves this film, and while I have showed him others, this remains his favorite. I actually prefer it as it’s one of the few kid’s films out there without a dark scene; he’s a sensitive, nightmare-prone sort, and he’s still a bit young to understand the scarier scenes. He likes _Finding Nemo_, for example, but the mother fish eaten by the barracuda, the shark chasing Dory and Marlin, and the lantern fish coming after them were too much. Recently I decided to show him the movie including those scenes (I had been skipping those chapters on the DVD the few times he’d seen it in the past; as he was older and had been asking questions about death, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to discuss it), and he had nightmares of a fish chasing him that night. _Cars_? No such scary scene. The car crashes aren’t menacing to him, and he knows everyone gets fixed and all better. Yup, this movie has grown on me. _Finding Nemo_ and _Up_ are more my thing, though. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/48 "2009-11-29T23:46:49Z")
I would enjoy a _Cars 2_ that was set in Europe. I don’t dig the whole “slice of Americana” thing. I’d like to see a version with BMWs, Mercs, SAABs, Citroens, Rolls-Royces, etc etc. European cars are intensely more interesting and have more character to them, in my opinion, than American ones. ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/49 "2009-11-30T00:00:45Z")
To me it felt sort of like something I saw on the Simpsons - that bit where Krusty is doing one of his show’s, and it’s a skit that’s about a family with giant ears? The one that totally bombed? I don’t know if you follow my logic, but there was a little too much made of the fact that they were cars. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/50 "2009-11-30T00:12:00Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > It was one of my least favorite Pixar movies, but Pixar movies are great, so that’s not an insult in itself. I saw this movie last month and actually enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. It took me a while to get into the storyline, but the whole Route 66 concept was very moving. When they showed the montage of the cars preparing for the opening of Route 66 and all their hopeful faces as the anticipated new visitors (which never showed), I burst into tears. I couldn’t help it. They did a really good job of painting that tragedy. > > There was also a featurette on the DVD we watched which included interviews with some of the people living in the original towns that were bypassed by Route 66. A wrinkled old shop owner commented that after the construction of Route 66 (and the loss of his customer base), ‘‘When something like that happens, well, you don’t see a reason for getting out of bed any more.’’ You don’t really realize how based in reality _Cars_ is until you watch that featurette. The film is about more than just a big-shot car learning to love in a country town, it’s about a real economic phenomena that occurred as a result of highway construction, and I believe it was crafted to be as accurate as possible. I thought the landscapes were beautiful and though there were definitely some cheesy accents, I think people easily forget how diverse certain parts of our country are, even in the sticks. Love it or leave it, there are towns like this all across the country. _Cars_ is a distinctly American film, with a distinctly American sensibility, and I think it’s less of a clishe than people give it credit for. Even the characters that seemed overly simplistic (like Tow-Mater) are based on real people. Yeah, but the sentiment is all wonky. The “Route 66” town got it’s livelihood from the 1920’s-built US Route system, which itself decimated hundreds of railroad communities. That musical moment in the movie was so eye-rollingly hypocritical in its revisionist history as to make the entire movie seem a forced lesson in fake sentiment. I truly think the theme of Cars should’ve been “Payback’s a bitch.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/51 "2009-11-30T00:17:55Z")
ETA: BTW, I thought the town was on the original Route 66 and the issue was it (the town) being bypassed by an Interstate. Am I wrong? It’s been a while since I’ve seen the film. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/52 "2009-11-30T01:18:29Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > ETA: BTW, I thought the town was on the original Route 66 and the issue was it (the town) being bypassed by an Interstate. Am I wrong? It’s been a while since I’ve seen the film. That is correct. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/53 "2009-11-30T02:28:32Z")
F1 champion Michael Schumacher (the FERRARI!!! /Tony Schaloob voiced car faints) was tossed in as a sop to the international market. I really hope all you folks who complained about the movie ripping off Doc Hollywood were doing so ironically… ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/54 "2009-11-30T02:32:42Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > ETA: BTW, I thought the town was on the original Route 66 and the issue was it (the town) being bypassed by an Interstate. Am I wrong? It’s been a while since I’ve seen the film. Yeah I mixed that up. It’s all new to me. > [@JohnT](#): > > Yeah, but the sentiment is all wonky. The “Route 66” town got it’s livelihood from the 1920’s-built US Route system, which itself decimated hundreds of railroad communities. That musical moment in the movie was so eye-rollingly hypocritical in its revisionist history as to make the entire movie seem a forced lesson in fake sentiment. > > I truly think the theme of Cars should’ve been “Payback’s a bitch.” I did not know that. I don’t think honoring the Route 66 town’s economic deprivation necessarily fails to validate the economic deprivation that resulted from the construction of Route 66. It’s not like these people deliberately set out to deprive anyone. They were just trying to make a living like anyone else. So ‘‘payback’’ doesn’t resonate with me here. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/55 "2009-11-30T02:34:09Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Yeah, but the sentiment is all wonky. The “Route 66” town got it’s livelihood from the 1920’s-built US Route system, which itself decimated hundreds of railroad communities. Ah, but today’s older adults don’t remember the railroad communities. They _do_ remember stuff like Route 66 before the interstates. Route 66 and car culture are what current Americans remember nostalgically. Everything before then may as well not have existed. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/56 "2009-11-30T14:36:37Z")
When I first heard of it in development I thought it a genius move from a business perspective. Boys love cars, toy cars, real cars, cartoon cars, anything cars. It was an instant moneymaker. Still it isn’t my favorite, though I do like it better than _A Bug’s Life_ and _Wall-E_. Part of the problem was its predictability. I mean it is easy to see where the film is going after about ten minutes, and there is nothing wrong with that (especially in a kid’s movie). But it didn’t deviate at all from the course; there was nothing remotely original or surprising about the story. Thus there was no suspense and no real drama. I own the film, but when I have to watch it I get bored about a third through, and I am always glad it is finally over when it ends. The animation is pretty boring too. Part of the problem is that we connect emotionally with faces, and the car faces just aren’t complex enough to develop a deep connection with. Also with other Pixar films I find myself delighted with noticing the little details and hidden ingenuities – not so much with cars. Another problem is that is came out after _The Incredibles_, the best Pixar film to date and one of the ten best animated films in history. It was a tough act to follow. Still there are positives. It keeps the kids interested. Bonnie Hunt’s voice work is good. Some details in the animation are superb, especially smoke, dust and flame. And as mentioned above the theme of the lost town is an important part of recent American history. Here in Texas there used to be dozens and dozens of quaint, cozy, community-oriented, almost storybook small towns scattered around the state. Now most of them are empty, rickety, ghost towns because they didn’t end up next to an interstate highway. Some are making their way back up now, but it is a tough fight. It is an important story to be told. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/57 "2009-11-30T15:49:30Z")
Love **Cars**. Love love love it. It’s not my favorite (that would be **Monsters, Inc.** , I think), but it’s up there. Certainly above Wall-E or Ratatouille. It’s a car movie, made for car people. And clearly, not a ton of people are car people. But for those who are, it’s perfect. I grew up watching open wheel racing (CART, not NASCAR), and the racing scenes are letter perfect with lots of touches that, did you not know racing, you’d never miss. But for those who do know racing, they’re essential. Couple that with the nostalgia and loss themes and Paul Newman, and bingo bango - awesome. Love **Cars**. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/58 "2009-11-30T16:42:11Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > I don’t think people have issues with the fact that they [doc hollywood and cars – crazyjoe edit] share a similar plot–many movies and other forms of media do as well. Instead, people take issue with the fact that it’s practically a scene for scene remake. Seriously? I must have missed the big race at tbe beginning of Doc Hollywood, wehre he has to commit to a tiebreaker race between 2 other doctors. I also missed the part of Cars where Lightning has to try to eat a pheasant filled with buckshot, or any of about 2 million other scenes that are different between the movie. I think the only “scene” that might be similar is the crashing through the caution cones, and even that was just a small part of a much larger scene, involving the flinging of an old Model T through the air… ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/59 "2009-11-30T16:46:20Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > It’s a car movie, made for car people. And clearly, not a ton of people are car people. But for those who are, it’s perfect. No, it is not a car movie, made for car people. It is a “classic American car” movie made for “classic American car” people. I’m a car person; I just prefer European and Japanese cars. There weren’t any of those in the movie, except for the Porsche (which was a lame model anyway) and one Ferrari at the end. I also love classic American 4x4s (Scout, Bronco, Blazer, Jeep) - didn’t see any of those in the movie. I love the “faces” of different cars that are created by their grilles and headlights - they have a lot of personality. Too bad the movie missed the opportunity to work with that, instead giving every car the same goddamn silly-looking ugly face and cartoon eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299/60 "2009-11-30T18:27:38Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Seriously? I must have missed the big race at tbe beginning of Doc Hollywood, wehre he has to commit to a tiebreaker race between 2 other doctors. I also missed the part of Cars where Lightning has to try to eat a pheasant filled with buckshot, or any of about 2 million other scenes that are different between the movie. I think the only “scene” that might be similar is the crashing through the caution cones, and even that was just a small part of a much larger scene, involving the flinging of an old Model T through the air… It isn’t really a shot for shot remake, but is a lot more than a movie with a similar theme: An opening montage showing what a hot shot the lead is followed by a scene showing how dissatisfied he is and setting up a need to get cross country in a hurry. Then after a scenic drive including comedic hazards, the lead messes up a small town and pisses off a judge without it really being his fault. Then he is sentenced to community service in the town where he is mentored by someone from an earlier generation(who takes an instant dislike to him to begin with) and falls in love with the most sophisticated person in the town(who also takes an initial dislike to him). He comes to love the town and the townfolk come to love him. He is sent on his way to California and glory but needs the help of the curmudgeonly older mentor to get what he came for. In the end he realizes that he belongs in that small town after all. ``` I have a 2 year old and have watched this movie way more than I would have chosen to. It is not that bad, but besides the fact that it follows a predictable story line and the world makes no logical sense (there are car babies at the big race and the cars can run out of gas and the only thing that stops are their wheels, etc.) neither of which are really big issues for in a movie for kids, there is one big thing I dislike about this movie. I don't like the current trend of stunt casting voices in these movies. Pixar has been better than many, but of the Pixar movies this one is the worst. In a cartoon about cars, I would prefer not to recognize the voices and have the face interfere with what I am seeing. If the voice actor can not fully inhabit the character, they should not be a voice actor. I would never claim that Tim Allen was a better actor than Tom Hanks, but he did a better job in Toy Story. It takes me out an animated movie when I can "see" the actor behind the character. In this movie Tony Shaloub and Michael Keaton did a great job, but Owen Wilson, Cheech Maron, and Paul Newman all took me out of the movie. Even Larry the Cable Guy was doing ok until he had to throw in his "git-r-done" at the race track. Before that I was buying him as a character. After that, I all saw was the stand up comedian. ``` Jonathan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-hate-for-cars/519299.md?page=4)