Filmmaking writer/director Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry) take the kids family film to a new cheesy high – and that is not necessarily a bad thing.  Looking back at their successful MATRIX movies, the trilogy was nothing more than glossy high stylized cheesiness.  Even the Christina Ricci character bears an uncanny resemblance to the Jennifer Tilly lesbian heroine in their first crime hit BOUND.

The story centers on Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch from INTO THE WILD) as the rebellious son of the Racer family.  Elder brother has died in an accident and Pops (John Goodman) and mother (Susan Sarandon) are afraid of losing another son.  The villain of the piece is the owner of Royalton (Roger Allam from THE QUEEN and THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY) who fixes every race till Speed puts him in his place (in jail that is) by winning a final race.
Though strictly a family children film, SPEED RACER contains occasional bouts of violence as in the scene when young Trixie (Ariel Winter) punches another girl to settle an argument.  The script implies disobedience to parents (Speed running off to do a final race; the youngest brother (Nicholas Elia) sneaking to watch the race on the television with his pet chimp) and daydreaming in the classroom may acceptable behavior. 

Like the MATRIX films, SPEED RACER jumps all over the place with characters that pop out on screen and real images transforming into animated sequences.  The flashback crosscuts have the initial appearance of clumsiness but each is there for a reason that blends into the plot.  The acting is over the top from John Goodman (he makes his entire family look like the FLINTSTONES) to the fighting kung-fu sequences.  The chimp has many star spots.  The Wachowski Brothers have also upped the goofiness factor in the film. 

The film version of SPEED RACER bears quite a different feel compared to the original cartoon series but the Wachowski Brothers are at least not afraid to push the family genre past conventionality.  But it would help if the Wachowski Brothers tied their film more coherently into solid whole.  The result is a barely satisfactory film that caters to both the kids and adults of the family.