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This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
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Pro Savings days are on at Lowe's. Get up to 35% off. Select major appliances plus Milo's Pro Rewards members get an additional 5% off when you buy five or more. Select GE Whirlpool and Electrolux. Kitchen or laundry. Major appliances Lowes we help you Save. Valid through 123 discount. Valid to Mylow's Pro Rewards members only. Exclusions and other restrictions apply. Selection varies by location while supplies last. See associate or lowe's.com for details. Loyalty programs subject to terms and conditions. Visit Lowe's Dot for details. Subject to change.
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A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught, the answers were there, hidden in plain sight. So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zieman, and this is Monster Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York since the Son of Sam. Available now listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
B
Sabrina, do you like going fast?
A
I do. If I'm driving, I do not like being like on the back of a sea doo or even when Jordan drives his car really fast, I get really nervous. But if I'm driving, I'm okay.
B
Do you like. I mean, are you one of those.
A
Kind of speeding tickets?
B
Oh, do you. Do you have. Are you a speeding ticket lady?
A
So many. It's crazy. It's crazy.
B
Really?
A
Yeah.
B
What is so many?
A
Insurance is just.
B
I'm curious. What is so many?
A
I think I am, like, pretty much constantly at that. What do you get, three points?
B
I have no idea. I don't think I've got one speeding ticket 15 years ago.
A
Oh, my gosh. No, I swear. I. It's like whenever one drops off, it's like not long after that I pick up. I'm the worst. It's bad. It's so sad. I. And it's been like that. I think I got my license and then I got my first ticket within probably that first year. Like, oh, man. Yeah.
B
Well, maybe take a foot off the right. The right. I know a little bit.
A
To be honest, I just don't like driving anymore because I just.
B
Because you just assume you're going to be pulled over.
A
I've gotten a ticket for not start, like being at a red light and kind of being dazed, I guess, and not going. And I got pulled over for not going like as fast as I should have.
B
Like, I'm just. I'm also convinced that certain people are just attract the police. That's me, Ryder Strong. Same way Ryder Strong gets tickets. And he's not. He's by no means a bad driver nor a speed demon. It's just every time you're in the car with him, you assume you're going to be pulled over.
A
Well, I'm like a combination of both because I am a terrible driver and the cops love to park, right. And I've tried all of the excuses, like, you know, late for work or I have to go to the bathroom. I'm just. And it's like they don't care. But there's other friends that get out of them so easily. Like so easily.
B
Well, next time you get pulled over, tell them you're late for Magical Rewind. Yes. Welcome back to the show, people. We are here. Once again. It's Magical Rewind, the show that makes you want to grab your friends, your PJs and your popcorn and go back to a time when all the housers are smart. The wave, tsunamis. And Sabrina slowed down a little bit. I'm Will Friedle.
A
And I'm Sabrina. Probably not going to be slowing down.
B
Probably not anytime soon. I got places I got to go. Nice. Women and gentlemen, start your engines because we're talking about the 2003 Sports DCOM, right? On track. Yes. A story about teenage sisters and their absolute favorite pastime, Hot dog racing. Is that hot rod racing? It's technically hot rod, but it's not really a hot rod. It's. Drag racing is really what it is.
A
That's what it looks like.
B
Specialty drag racing cars. It's another micro world. We love it. Yeah. So did you ever want to start racing dangerous dragsters? No.
A
No, I didn't think so. That has never been my thing. However, I did get a chance to go to the Indy 500 and get in one of the cars and do a lap around the car. Not the, the draft, like not the Indy car, but on like a convertible Corvette or something and got to sit on the back and do it. And I was like, I couldn't understand why people would get addicted to wanting this. This is like the energy, the crowd.
B
The sound I've heard. It's just really, truly amazing. Yeah.
A
Yes, it's. It's unreal.
B
I've never been a car racer guy, but I love cars, so who knows? Anyway, this film originally aired on March 21, 2003. And whether Sabrina wanted to race doesn't matter because this one is based on a true story. Yes, we've got another double team situation going on here. Everybody's favorite movie. Courtney and Erica Enders, whose childhood dream was to race in the NHRA Junior Dragster Nationals and break the glass ceiling in the boys dominated sport. It's all real people. Yes, and a bit of a spoiler here. Erica did end up Turning Pro in 2005 by participating in NHRA's Powerade series. Then in 2012, she became the first woman to win it all when she defeated Greg Anderson on live tv. And she'd go on to become one of the sport's premier names. Now a six time eliminator national champ. Totally cool. Her sister Courtney no longer races, but has a career in the sport. She is Erica's brand manager and works for Elliot Motorsports and Flow Racing, which is a media company focused on, well, very fast cars. Now, let's not get this movie confused with one of our favorites, if not our favorite, which is Miracle in Lane two. That is soapbox racing and that's the dcom starring Frankie Muniz. Though the sports are similar, drag racing is the one that will get you killed. And many, many, many fatal accidents. The worst thing that really can happen in soapbox racing is you find out, well, you're allergic to the soap. I'm kidding. You'll probably just get bruised if you crash. Which we saw. Which we saw Frankie Muniz do. Yes, the Ender sisters first caught national attention as kids when People magazine wrote a feature about them. Then the movie was made with the teenagers. And yes, they did all the stunt driving you see in the film, which is pretty awesome. I figured as much. But that's pretty cool. They also show up in the film in. And a really neat stat here is that when this DCOM first came out, 25% of drag racers were women. And now today it is 50%. Half of all drag racers are women. And as usual, this movie is available to stream on Disney. Whether you decide to turn off the podcast right now to watch or decide to listen to us first, that's not really any of our business. To be honest, we're kind of offended that you even asked us to be involved in the process. Have some boundaries, for Christ's sake. And now let's get into the very fun cast. There are some really recognizable names up top, which is always fun, fun and a reason that this one is still talked about. But first, before the big race, let's participate in a little time trial we call a synopsis Sisters Erica and Courtney Enders break barriers in the male dominated world drag racing. But as family tensions rise and competition intensifies, the young girls must prove their talent, resilience and belief in themselves to succeed on and off the track. Sabrina, let's push the pedal to the metal here. What are your early thoughts? What do you think of the film?
A
I was actually very excited to watch this. I don't remember really watching it. I obviously knew what it was about, but the cast itself was something that I was really excited to see how they did with the dcom. So I was excited. And to me, I love the very beginning where it starts off as our main character as a little girl watching her dad and then swiftly going into starting to make her dreams come true. I was in it from the beginning, like literally locked in, ready to watch a great dcom.
B
I kind of feel the same way. This to me is the ultimate model of dcom. Based on a true story, sports related, probably better than double teamed. Like, so I was good and I.
A
Love that it felt like you said, like a true dcom, like what the dcoms were formulated as. There was no, like musical moment that gave it its own sparkle. It was really focused on the storyline and, you know, the drama, the commitment, the dedication, the passion. I'm in.
B
Let's go.
A
Wheels are turning. Ready to roll.
B
I'm sorry, I agree, I agree. Old school Disney kind of concept. We're going to take young, we're going to find kids that are in a microworld where they're excelling and we're going to make a movie about them. Dig it?
A
Yes.
B
Now for the director, we have a somewhat familiar name, Duane Dunham. He's best known as the acclaimed editor on movies like Return of the Jedi. We talk about this guy all the time. Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Twin Peaks, which he won an Emmy for. But we know him as the director of Halloweentown, the 13th year. Double teamed. Yes. And now you see it. A great dcom second stringer if you ask me. And as I mentioned, we have an exciting cast here. First up, a power name in 2026 Hollywood, Brie Larson. Yes. Larson was a child actor who we've seen in similar DCOM roles, but now she plays younger sister Courtney. Larson is now an Oscar winner for her part in 2016's Room and has been seen in a lot of mov with numbers in their titles like 21, Jump Street, Short Term 12 and Fast 10. But she also appeared in TV shows lesson in Chemistry and soon she'll be the voice of Rosalina in the Super Mario sequel. But nowadays she's most recognizable as Captain Marvel from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let's add her to the list of possibly most famous to have ever been in a dcom. Are you a Brie Larson fan?
A
You know, I didn't recognize her at first, and then halfway through the movie I went, oh my gosh, yes. And I just saw the Super Mario Brother preview, I think, and that makes me really excited to know that her voice is gonna be included in it.
B
That's really cool. Well, I can also.
A
You probably know her.
B
I don't. I don't know. I don't know.
A
I mean, I. Oh my gosh. That's so shocking to me.
B
I don't. But I can tell you I can be the first one to say that Brie Larson herself will under no circumstances ever be coming on our podcast. I can tell you that's like never gonna happen.
A
Hurts a little bit, Will.
B
I wish you would. No. Sometimes you do. And then my old friend Beverly Mitchell. Now you ask who I do know. Beverly Mitchell is the lead as Erica Enders. Beverly was very popular at the time for her work as Lucy Camden on the long running TV drama 7th Heaven. She also appeared in Saw 2, the Crow, City of Angels and a slew of Christmas movies. But right now she's one of our podcast peers. She recaps 7th Heaven on catching up with the Camdens. Also, Beverly in this movie is playing Erica, a 15 year old. And in real life she was 22. But Beverly looks so young. It really didn't bump me at all. Which is rare for a decompose.
A
Yep, I know. That's one of the things about this movie that I just couldn't get over. I kept going. I wonder how old she really is because I remember in seventh Heaven she was playing younger. She's older than Jessica Biel, right? Yes, I think, Yeah, I think that was a thing.
B
Like she played the younger she was in 2003. She was 22, I was 25.
A
Yeah.
B
So yeah, she's not that much younger than me. Oh, we won't get too much into her age though.
A
Oh, no. But I'm just saying she just looks so amazing and plays. It's great because she brings a maturity level.
B
She does.
A
And her acting ability is just so great. And she just, she does this so well.
B
Well, also the thing that's amazing is Brie was playing. Was 13 playing an 11 year old. So the two co stars were 22 and 13, so probably didn't hang out A whole lot.
A
Probably not, no.
B
And then we've got veteran actor Jon Lindstrom plays dad Gre with two G's. Enders. Lindstrom has shown up on General Hospital as Dr. Kevin Collins and an on and off for 40 years. Wow. On and off for 40 years. And somehow starred in 918 episodes of another soap opera called Port Charles. And as we all know, anybody who's been on soap operas, 918 episodes of a soap opera is three months worth of work.
A
That's it.
B
But his first role ever was in the TV movie Facts of Life. Goes to Paris. How I've never seen that, I don't understand.
A
How I've never known about that one. We've gotta look at that one.
B
Then you take the good, you take the bad, you take them all to Paris. Yes, I want to see that. More recently, you've seen him in Bosch, NCIS Los Angeles, beyond the Gates, and True Detective. Jodie Russell is mom Janet Leigh. And she is no stranger to magical rewinders. You know her from go figure. She also played the sports mom in that one. So Disney has a real plan to typecast her and a familiar face. For me and POD meets World listeners, it's Marcus Toji as Randy Jones. Marcus was a busy child actor, most famously in Karina. Karina. Or is it Corinna Karina. It's two names. Either Karina Karina or Corinna. Corinna, but there's two. And Little Giants, but would also appear on TV shows like Family Matters, Party of Five, and two episodes of Boy Meets World. He is still showing up in Patriot and Workaholics, but most of his work is in the field of voiceovers like me on shows like Rainbow Bright, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and the Legend of Korra. Now, sure, drag races are fast, but what about this movie? Fast lane or slow lane? What are we talking about when it comes to runtime, people? The only thing that matters when it comes to films. Well, Right on Track is the perfect title because it's 89 minutes. Bingo, baby. Sure, it's off the target, but it's one short, not long. Thrilled to see it and I approve. For the script, we have two writers. First is Sally Nemeth. She was predominantly a law and order writer. Dun dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Sorry, I'm in the middle of watching a bunch of Law and Orders right now. So you have to wonder how she was thrown into the Disney Rolodex. No clue. But, Sally, if you're out there listening, let us know but the other credited writer is a little more obvious. For a dcom, it's Bruce Graham, who also wrote Anastasia, A Ring of Endless Light, and Tiger Cruise for the studio. He was also the mind behind the monkey hotel clerk movie. Dunstan checks in. It has to be a fever dream. And the 1985 Christian Slater film Twisted.
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A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught, the answers were there, hidden in plain sight. So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zieman, and this is Monster Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York since the Son of Sam. Available now listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.
B
So let's get out the checkered flag, cuz we're taking it to the nationals. It's time to get right on track. We open at dawn. A suburban garage door opens to reveal a hot rod drag racer being. Everybody's gonna be like, it's not a hot rod, but it's a hot rod drag racer for us. Being wheeled out. A dad is pushing his young daughter in the driver's seat while narrating a fictional race. She's pretending to drive and win, but now it's time for her dad to go. She begs him to tag along, but she can't this time. And so he drives off in a truck towing the hot rod. And Erica waves goodbye, yelling, rock and roll, daddy. Stick him. And then we get our title right on track now at the track with the dad, Greg Enders getting ready to compete on, well, tracks lane two. Yes. Back at the house. Credits tell us that it's based on the life of the Ender sisters while two chuds. Yes, I'm saying chuds on bicycles. Bully Erica about having training wheels, but she's not having it. She tells the thugs she can beat them anytime in a race. And so they find themselves at the starting line just at the same time her father finds himself in the same situation. The green flag flies and everyone is off to the races. Greg hits the afterburners just as Erica's training wheel wheels pop off. They both speed off, winning their races, then celebrating. And then we jump to four years later. There's a lot of time jumps at the beginning here. Yes, a group of high school students is working with clay. And now we see a young lady making a perfectly sculpted hot rod. It's Erica now older, but just as obsessed with racing. And this is when I asked myself, isn't this movie about sisters? We hadn't seen any sisters yet. That night, Erica begs her mom to join a new racing league in her area called the Junior Dragsters. She swears it's safe. Her dad kind of agrees. The cars only go 60 miles an hour, and when you're, you know, 11, 60 is not that much. And she'll be in a fire suit and harness. But I always told the fire suits are just there to keep all your organs in for when you crash. But her mom, Janet Lee, isn't having it. And then we meet her little sister, Courtney. Yes, sister's here. Who acts like a little snitch and calls racing dangerous. While eating ice cream. Both girls go off to bed so the parents can talk out the racing situation alone. Janet knows that racers can die, which, you know, they can, and isn't sure what to do. But next, we're just thrown into her first ever NHRA junior drag racing event. The track is packed and now kids 8 to 16 will finally get the chance to race just like pros. Erica is there, so obviously her mom folded like a futon. Everything's coming together. But her dad is confronted by a redneck blue ass. If letting a little girl race is a good idea.
A
Oh my gosh.
B
And just in case you didn't know she was a little girl, her hot rod is pink with Enders Racing written on the side. And frankly, I thought it was the coolest looking one there.
A
I did too. I loved hers. I thought it was awesome. Except for I think they took it one step too far with what they had like gold sequins in the inline, like the, in like the inside of the car.
B
Sick, bro.
A
Oh, no, that was just like one step too far. Like I think we could have waited, like, just passed on that. The, the pink, everything pink and black. She looked chic, she looked ready.
B
That was cool. Great. I thought she had the best looking car there. Mine, by the way, would be green. I decided, I had a long conversation with my wife last night, that if I was ever thrown into a drag racing car, I'd want it to be green because it's my favorite color.
A
Noted.
B
There you go. People are even. Oh, by the way, if you are going to get me a Christmas gift green hot rod. Okay. People are even. Heckling. As she walks to the starting line to prep the engine, her dad gives her some last words of encouragement and tells her if she loses, she's no longer part of the Family. I'm kidding. I added that. And the announcers accidentally call her Eric because there's no way it's a girl. That would be nuts. A girl driver, Janet Leigh, is filming it all with her giant camcorder. And Erica is about to face Randy Jones. He's a cute boy who's a little nervous that he'll lose to a girl. But then we get red light, yellow light, green light. And young Randy does lose to a girl. Erica wins. Later that day at the track, Erica and her dad are celebrating with a little trophy when she notices a much bigger one. It's for the winner of the nationals. And she tells her dad one day she's gonna win it. Her dad keeps her expectations in line but thinks she could win it one day. But any kid who gets behind the wheel wants to win the nationals. And there's a difference between wanting something and actually getting it. So she has to stay strong. Which is exactly what I say about eating an entire pumpkin pie in one sitting, which someday I'll be able to do. I'm sorry. I'm looking off, pretending I'm thinking about eating a whole pumpkin pie in case.
A
They wanted to use Please don't. Oh, my God.
B
As a social clip.
A
If it's one from Costco, I'm really gonna have some feelings about that. They're giant.
B
They are giant. And someday I can do it. And I don't like you stepping on my dreams.
A
All right, well, we'll see.
B
But you know who isn't stepping on Erica's dreams? Her dad. Because Erica knows that she'll win the nationals one day, even though Sabrina doesn't think I can finish the whole pie. But she's gonna wait and see. And then we jump to seven years later. I did not know I'd be doing math for this movie. But fine. They're now in their mid-40s. I'm not following what's happening with the jumping. Yes, but we are back in the garage and excited. Erica is behind the wheel of a brand new hot rod. And also Courtney's there finally behind the wheel of the old pink one, still being a little brat. But now she's racing too. Eric is moving up an age group, and her dad warns her that means more work and more traveling. The girls need to keep straight A's if they want to travel to the race. And if they get seized, the cars will be taken away. A deal is made, and we officially have two kid racers. And they're girls. Did you know that they're girls? Could you tell There were girls. That wasn't pointed out at all in the film.
A
I did actually enjoy this teaching moment or parent moment of like A, if you can stay in. We're all in. B, we take away state champ. Like State. State travels. See, you're out all together. That. That sets some goals and make. Keeps things in perspective. I thought it was great.
B
It. I thought it was great till a little bit later.
A
Yes.
B
And we'll get into that.
A
It's like harsh.
B
Yeah, it's like, come on, dude. But any. Yeah, we'll get into that.
A
I mean, this is better than. Some of my. Most of my friends were. Were encouraged to get good grades by getting money. I think it was like 50 bucks for an A. Oh my God. For a B. And if you got a C, you owed your parents 25. It was like this crazy.
B
Oh, my God.
A
I think I got like maybe $10 for an A or something.
B
Hence why you got money for A's. I got. Yeah, you. You should be getting A's. You're smart enough to get A's. Live up to your potential. Get A's. Right. I never did. I just always. We won't get into my grade.
A
I think this was a better thing, like, you know. Cause it's. It's keeping you in line of, like, this isn't gonna get out of control and you're studies go away.
B
I think the principle of it when you're first starting something like this.
A
Yeah.
B
Makes sense. But then we'll get into a little later what I actually think about it. So we cut to Houston, Texas. It's a big junior tournament, and Eric has made the finals. Did you think kids this age who literally can't drive on the street should be able to drive these fast cars?
A
At first I was in it, but then when we get to a part where it does become very, like, clear that, like, there's no driver's license, I'm like, there's got to be some kind of courses that they go through. Enable, I'm sure in order to do some type of licensing is what I was assuming.
B
Yeah. A friend named Jeremy in high school who raced like the high. High power go karts, like the things that did 100 miles an hour and slid around the track. And he was doing that from the time he was like 12. So I. I'm cool with it. I mean, I get the idea that it's like if you're really good at something, you're really good at something, but it doesn't seem weird.
A
A lot of training that's what I'm saying. There's got to be some type of. They have to take certain training courses.
B
Sure.
A
And in that case that's what driver's license like training is too. So it kind of makes sense.
B
Yeah, but we also live in a country where there, there are ages that are just completely and totally arbitrary. Like you can go to war and get married, but you can't have a beer at your wedding. So there are ages where they're just like, we're gonna pick this number for one age and this for one age.
A
Right.
B
So it's, you know, if you're at 13 and I, I think there's place I could be wrong. So please write Sabrina all the emails because I don't want to read them if, if I'm wrong. But I think there's certain places in the country still where like, especially if you work on a farm as a kid, you can get certain licenses at 13 and 14 to like drive the big equipment and stuff like that. So I think that's still a thing. But yeah, I, it didn't bother me. It's such a cool little micro world that again, it didn't.
A
Yeah, I know. And I, and I assume because safety is such a big issue in this micro world that there are like I said, some type of classes that they have.
B
Yeah.
A
Like they have to pass some kind of tests and able to like actually race.
B
You would think, sure, it would be fun.
A
Especially in knowing the age classes goes up. The cars go up.
B
The cars get more powerful the older you get.
A
Like. Yeah, they get more muscle. So. So I'm assuming there's got to be some kind of protocol. They just don't go into it.
B
Well, it is time for the finals. It's Erica versus Jordy Knowlton, who may have a gender neutral first name, but it's a dude. His crew chief is his dad, a former Top Fuel national runner up. And despite just being a runner up, he's a champion face already trash talking to Greg about his daughter needing Kleenex when she. I mean this guy was such an. And I was yelling at the screen, you came in second twice, Dick.
A
You didn't win anything. What high horse are you traveling on?
B
Exactly.
A
And also the thing that pissed me off is just knowing like my micro world, like dance parents and stuff. Like this is not an over exaggeration, a characterization of like how parents can be when they're way too invested in their kids hobby. It's like, this is real. And that just. I instantly hated this man.
B
Like me too.
A
I hated everything. I just. It was so easy to dislike him knowing that there are actual parents out there that would say something like that about a child in front of a.
B
Child in front of them. Yes. No, it was. It was infuriating. Also, if you're gonna make fun of Greg about anything, make fun of the fact that he spells his name with two GS.
A
Or maybe something else later. I'll get into that.
B
Okay. Both cars are now ready and set, so the only thing left is a green light. They're both off to a great start, positioning back and forth, but in the end, Geordi wins and his jerk ass dad rubs it in Greg's face. A little later, Erica is forced to watch Jordi celebrate. While she wallows, her dad encourages her to go and shake Jordy's hand, even if he's a jerk. So they decide to approach him together. This is a great message. You gotta learn how to lose, too. The two racers do shake hands, but Jordi's dad still calls her a loser and says racing isn't for little girls. Because, of course, his son won by what, 2 milliseconds, so you shouldn't be in the sport at all. He encourages her to quit once again. And Greg, being the proud dad, does absolutely nothing. Literally doesn't even say anything.
A
You're getting there on my list, sir. You're so close.
B
I get. You don't have to swing at the guy for something like that, but call him a. Or say something about his kids. Say something. You're only a run something.
A
Grow up your family up a little bit. Agreed. It didn't be as nasty in any sense, because I do like, he's like the moral compass of this movie and very helpful in that way for his daughter. However, you gotta say something. You don't not. I mean, otherwise this douche is just gonna keep doing it. That's the hard part. You gotta put your foot down in some way.
B
Yeah. And this is the perfect thing would have been for him to turn to his daughter right in front of the guy and be like, see, this is what I'm talking about. Good winners, bad winners. Good losers, bad losers. This is a bad winner.
A
And it can't blame this. This idiot because he's never won, so.
B
Exactly. He wouldn't know how to teach his kid.
A
I mean, I would go. I would have gotten a little. I mean.
B
The mom comes out. I love it, Mama.
A
Be would be real hot.
B
Yeah. This, by the way, is now the third instance of someone pushing them around without any repercussions whatsoever. That night, Eric is doing some race prep, working on her green light reaction time with a little computer. I want this. When her sister annoys her with a feather. I just want to see how I do.
A
You know me, every time a dcom brings out some kind of mechanical thing, I'm like, first of all, is that real?
B
It's gotta be. I imagine that's real.
A
It was such a cool little gadget. I really. I was, like, interested into it.
B
And so what. I'm guessing it is for the people that. That haven't maybe watched the movie or whatever. So it's. It's the. The. The light that they have that starts the race. And I think the button she pushes at the end is the button you. You push. I don't think you just hit the gas. I think there's other things you have to do in the car. I don't know.
A
Oh, really?
B
But I think you have to hit. So she's, like, doing her reaction time to do what you actually have to do in the car. I could again send all your.
A
I. I don't know if there's an extra button, but it definitely is, like, getting on that light, not going before it. You know, that would be 100% where I would lose. Like, every race, you just jump. You jump the guy I'm starting. Yeah. There's no way I'd be able to sit or I'd just be so slow. Like, I'm not.
B
I'm not hitting that middle. Figure it out.
A
There's no way.
B
Figure it out. You'd figure it out. You're a dancer. Timing's so important in dancing. I think you would figure it out. That's.
A
That's. That is a good point.
B
Yeah.
A
All right.
B
I think. I think you'd figure it out.
A
Thank you. Always got my back here. Never putting me down.
B
Of course not. Courtney wants to try this little thing she's playing with. And of course, the very first time beats Erica's time. These girls are starting to look like the Mannings of junior hot rod racing. But Courtney doesn't seem as into the sport as her sister. She's just a natural talent, apparently. And even though it's bedtime, Erica wants to stay up practicing. She hates losing and hates Jordy even more. Her mom warns her about being obsessed. Are these trophies really worth it? Erica admits it's not just the trophy she likes inside a hot rod where she belongs. And also, this is where I'm. I have no problem as long as it doesn't become an obsession. That's horrible. I have no problem with somebody wanting to excel and be the best at what they do. And I'm gonna do what I have to do to be the best. We need more of that, not less.
A
I would be so stoked if that was my kid. Like, sure, okay, 10 more minutes. You know, like, if that was what my kid was doing, oh, I'd be so.
B
And your grades are up anyway, and you're doing anything else. We want more of the younger generation to want to excel.
A
Obsession. I think it's more so just, you know. Yeah, I get you wanting to make sure that's not the only focus in the world, but, yeah, I would be so stoked if my kid was, like, excelling at something and wanted nothing more than to just practice, practice, practice.
B
And apparently there's an old saying that a true champion is somebody that hates losing more than they likes winning more than they like winning.
A
Right.
B
And I think that's. That's important. Again, it doesn't have to be the end all be all of your life, but it's. It do. If you're going to do something, do it right.
A
Yes.
B
So anyway, she belongs in the hot rod. She calls herself an alien because all she wants to do is race. Her mom encourages her to be nicer to herself and says she's not an alien. But what if she said she was? Then it'd be a totally different movie, and maybe she'd turn into a bubble.
A
Then it'd be Xenon.
B
Or. No, the bubble movie where they fly. They just turn into gas bubbles. Oh, my God.
A
No, I can't do the bubble again.
B
She could just.
A
Don't make meat. Will.
B
We're doing it again. We're rewatching gas bubble movie. The next day, Erica catches Courtney in the hot rod, pretending to race. Courtney says she can't wait until she gets to drive a real hot rod and doesn't get why her sister takes it all so seriously. We have a real difference in approach here. And it feels like this is gonna be the crux of the film. Now we're in French class. Oui. Erica is passing notes with a friend named Luanne. And it's an invite to a party on Saturday with lots of chocolate and hot guys. You know, those old famous high school chocolate hot guy parties?
A
My favorite kind of party.
B
Your favorite kind of party? I'm telling you, a chocolate fountain and some guy named Doug. But Erica can't because she has a race.
C
A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught. The answers were there, hidden in plain sight. So why did it take so long to catch a him? I'm Josh Zieman, and this is Monster Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York since the Son of Sam. Available now listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.
B
And the next thing you know, we're on another raceway in Dallas, but this time it's Courtney in the pink car. She gets the green light and easily wins. Her dad and Erica are thrilled, but when it's announced that she's broken a record previously set by her sister Erica, her older sister is annoyed. Erica does congratulate her, but it's pretty hollow. We're back in the family RV now, and Courtney wonders why Erica wears makeup to the race when she's just gonna wear a helmet anyway. We don't get an answer and it never comes up again. But we do get a knock on the door from a Jerry Trammell from National Dragster magazine. Big fan. The National Dragster. Ndm. That's what I used to call it. Eric. I've never heard of National Dragsters.
A
I was like, that's a real one guy.
B
It must be. I'm guessing National Dragster magazine is probably or was back in the day. I'm guessing that was probably a real magazine. They had magazines for everything back in the day because there was no website. Erica assumes he wants to talk to her, but he wants to talk to Courtney. Yes, a rivalry is brewing. Later on, Erica is complaining to her friend and former racing opponent, Randy Jones. She's happy for her sister, but it drives her crazy how well she's doing. And that's not a pun. She's even jealous of how natural Courtney is. In all the interviews, Erica admits talking about racing makes her nervous and tongue tied. Everything, including racing, just comes easier for her. Randy says some nice stuff to Erica, but seems intimidated by some cute girls nearby. Erica wonders if she's cramping his style, but he admits his love life is non existent. They talk about both being single, and Randy says boys are intimidated by her ability to win. And Randy says that boys are intimidated by Erica and her ability to win races. We're now back at school. Erica's in the gym warming up for volleyball, watching cute guys play basketball. I wonder if they're at the chocolate party. But then some other girls bully Erica about racing. Her friends from earlier. The one with the chocolate and hot boy party. That one. Luann tells her not to worry. They're just jealous. Then during hitting drills, the bullies don't let up. They say drag racing isn't a real sport. And then, unlike her dad, Erica actually stands up for herself. And it was, I think, at this point where I realized just how much bullying was actually in this movie, which, frankly, was probably par for the course in the early 90s. It was probably real.
A
I. It would be real now, I would assume.
B
Yeah. Oh, God, it's awful. The two girls say sitting on your butt in a car doesn't take any athletic ability. But Erica mentions the G forces and the lung pressure, schooling them on the coordination and how one mistake could lead to, well, death. She spikes the volleyball and proves her point. That night, Erica complains to her dad, even though she has the same time as Jordi. He has tons of sponsors and she can't even get one. It's just not fair. She knows that her dad spends a lot of money on her car and wants to help. Greg admits that it's not fair and decides to find sponsors himself. He she just needs to focus on the racing. And the next day, well, they didn't have to wait very long because Greg, with two GS, has bad news. He couldn't get his boss to chip in money because people around town are upset. Erica keeps beating the boys. He promises that once she's in the nationals, though, they'll have to pay attention. We're now back at volleyball. Erica slams into a ball bin shoulder first. She's clearly injured, but doesn't want to see a doctor. If she tells her parents, she won't be able to race that night. Erica falls asleep while studying, and her mom notices the volleyball bruise while tucking her in. She immediately tells Greg, and he's worried that he's pushing her too hard for the nationals. Is this for her or is this for him is kind of what she's wondering. And he admits he was a little jealous at first, but her passion for racing is undeniable. She has natural instincts, which he doesn't want to ignore. Talent handed down from God. Janet also worries both Erica and Courtney are missing out on normal kids stuff. And now it's time for the weekend's race. Jordy is talking to Jerry Trammell from that dragster magazine, a beat reporter who apparently is very involved in regional junior drag racing. Erica and Randy, who is now her pit crew, or in her in her pit crew and wearing very cool 90s Oakley shades walk by and notice Jordy. Erica is determined to beat him this time, and with his time trial run at 8.91 seconds, she proves she can, finishing with 8.89. On her way back to the RV, she decides to say hello to Jordi and his dad. She throws him some Kleenex for when she whumps him in the finals. This girl has a real mamba mentality, and her dad is disappointed with her attitude. He was embarrassed, and she shouldn't stoop down to their level as a store winner. He admits he wanted to stand up to them in the past, but it cheapens them. They eventually make up, and the lesson was learned. And this is where, to me, the dcom really kind of shines through because he has these little messages of like, you got to learn how to lose. It's almost more important to learn how to lose than it is to learn how to win. You got to learn to how. How to do both. And I thought the scenes like this were really great.
A
Yes. And I think that's what has always been something that I've, like, loved about the dcoms in general, is like, a good dcom has these great messages that aren't, like, constantly shoved in your face, but are, like, right there, underlining. And I. I loved this aspect because it is true. You know, you can't. I teach that to my dancers a lot. When you win, it's not. I mean, obviously share your moment with your teammates, but you don't turn around and, like, scoff or look down at anyone else because any other given day, the scores could change because you could go out there and trip or do something that takes that. That trophy away. And it's just as important to be a good winner as it is to be a good loser. Give everyone the chops that they deserve when they win. You know?
B
I agree.
A
And it's a hard thing at this age of this character in the movie to really grasp and to really put into their lifestyle. It is a tough one to do. It takes a while to sink in.
B
I agree 100%. And now it's time for the finals. And as you could predicted, it's Erica versus Jordi. It's the one we've all been waiting for. And then Erica hits the gas before the green light, disqualifying her before the races even started. Womp, womp. Jordi is the winner in a very anticlimactic ending. And it was like, damn. Now Erica is back in French class, not paying attention. Instead, she has her little reaction time machine Is trying her best to beat a record. She's caught by the teacher mid lecture, who takes the gadget away and says, that's not B. Get it? That's French for good, I think. Anyway.
A
I don't know.
B
I don't either. And now it's another racing weekend. Courtney and Greg are working on a car when they're approached by a man named Will Coleman from team penoil. They all have names like that. His daughter is a huge fan of Erica's, and if she can show some talent today, he may be able to convince his bosses to sponsor her. Greg makes Courtney promise not to tell her sister. She's already put enough pressure on herself, but they know this is a great possibility for them. And now, right at race time, with team Pennzoil watching on, Randy notices a clutch bolt is loose on Erica's car. The crew tries to stop her, but once she sees the green light, Erica takes off. Her dad uses their communication device to tell her to stop the car, but the engine won't shut off, and she can't stop the drag racer. Okay. So she takes off, and he then uses his thing to say, stop the car. Stop the car. Stop the car. Why? When the clutch bolt. And they're like, it's a clutch bolt. Why are they yelling to stop the race? Why doesn't he just go in and go, your clutch bolts out. Don't. Don't hit the gas.
A
I don't know. Sheer panic? I'm not sure. Maybe nothing.
B
Then you need a better crew chief.
A
Because I also was thinking, too, this whole time, her buddy's kind of young to be having the job that he has.
B
Everybody in this movie is young to be having the job.
A
Well, yes, but I'm just saying, like. Like, that could just have been, like, pure panic. Like, you know what I mean?
B
Yeah.
A
I don't know.
B
It made him pretty competent, though. That. That was. The whole point is that he's like. He's pretty damn good at what he does. Randy. Randy's like. Randy's arguably the most competent one in the film. Yeah. So she takes off. She can't stop the drag race. And Greg tries to calm her down. As emergency vehicles get into place, her mom and Courtney watch on with baited breath as she bursts through the track safety nets at full speed. She eventually crashes into a rope netting and is knocked. Knocked out. Sirens wail and when the first responders arrive, the emergency crew removes her from her car with the jaws of life. Her dad arrives and is immediately supporting her. She's awake and conversing, but is obviously hurt and possibly concussed. She's airlifted out to a nearby hospital. We also get very dramatic music. And that was. If I had one serious criticism of this film. It was the music.
A
Really.
B
The music in this movie was so high handed. So just. Oh, God. Oh. It brought me in. To me, the music was just like. And now we're having a special moment. It was just like. Okay. It was. It's really high handed. This. The music.
A
And there's some. Some notable songs in the soundtrack as well.
B
Are there? Okay. I just. I. It was more the score than the sound than. Than the song. The score was the thing where it was just like, it. There's times it sounded like a Boy Meets World episode where it was just like. And it worked for a boy. It worked for, like a Friday night TGIF show, but for a movie about drag racing. It was a little much for me.
A
Yeah, Got it. Okay. All right.
B
Later. Yeah, later. At the hospital, as her family waits for an update, Janet is beating herself up. She doesn't intend on seeing her daughter crash ever again. Then a doctor arrives and informs them that she is dead. Everybody's still with me. No, I'm kidding. No. She has no broken bones or signs of a concussion. She'll just gonna be sore for a little while.
A
I will say this scene was a little. With it not being anything like, she just has bruises.
B
You did just see your kid crash at like 80 miles an hour, though.
A
Yeah, but like, Courtney's in the window. Like, It's like you would have known something. You would have known something that it was like. We're looking into it. We're just making sure there's no internal damage. You know what I mean? Like, it was.
B
She's also awake going, I'm okay.
A
Yeah, she's up, like, doing jumping jacks in the.
B
I'm fine. Don't worry about it.
A
Totally fine. But it was a little over the top as far as. As I really was. Like, wait, nothing's wrong. I thought this was where we were going to get an actual, like, injury. Honestly, I thought this was when Courtney was going to pick the reins up and start being the main character. Like. I mean.
B
Oh, yeah.
A
And then there was just nothing. It was like, oh, she's got some bruises. Like.
B
Yep. But she's fine too.
A
This would have been the end for me as a mom, that one crash. Sorry, Monroe, I get it. That's your dream. We're out of here.
B
Yeah, that's. This is where it's like you can't throw somebody into their dream and then pull it from them.
A
I know, but that's the problem.
B
That's. And we'll get into that later. So no broken bones or signs of a concussion. She's just going to be sore for a while. Everyone's happy, especially Courtney, who finally shows some of that sisterly love we've been hoping for. And back on the track, Randy is fixing her crashed out car. More impressive than a teenage drag Rage champion is another teenager who can replace a front end and weld a roll cage within an hour. Mad respect for Randy, my favorite character of the movie. With the car fixed, Erica is determined to make a run. But the races are over for the day. But she doesn't care. She just wants one run to beat whatever fear she has. And which is great. Her mom allows it and, you know, the shaken driver gets into her car. It's obviously a big moment for Erica, even if it means nothing in the overall race. In the end, she conquers her nerves and has her best time yet. And guess what? Team Pennzoil saw it all that night while eating in the rv. Courtney is ready to pick out her next car. She'll be moving up into Erica's division soon and has some ideas for what she wants. But Erica says if anyone's getting a new car, it's her. Courtney can have her old one. Meanwhile, Randy is just eating baked beans and wants wasabi on his burger up at the top of the RV. And then Mr. Coleman from Teen Pennzoil arrives with the generous sponsorship offer. But instead of immediately accepting, Erica has a question. Why ask her today? After the accident, he says when she climbed back into her car, that showed him something. So she accepts the offer under one condition. They also have to sponsor Courtney. He says yes, and Team Pennzoil forever. And so we get our first professional photo shoot for Pennzoil. And while Erica is stiff and angry in her shots, Courtney is a natural. Dancing around and being very cool. Both girls have new spiffy cars. That weirdo. Oh, come on. She's. Hell yeah, she did the walk like an Egyptian. You can't not be cool.
A
Doing that was the cool part for you. Okay?
B
You can't be cool when you do the walk like an Egyptian.
A
Come on.
B
It's the early 90s. Walk like an Egyptian was the pinnacle of cool. That weirdo reporter comes back and wants to know when the sisters will race each other. And Erica says never, while Courtney says soon. But first, it's Courtney's first big race. She's unfocused as always, and it infuriates Erica, who is part of her pit crew. But it should come as no surprise that Courtney is naturally a superstar and wins. We get a montage of the sisters winning over and over, making teen Penzoil proud, and even signing autographs for little girls who want to drive someday, too.
A
Very cool.
B
Cool. And a few days later, of all places, we're at the DMV. It's time for Erica to turn 16 and take her driver's test. The instructor takes his seat without any knowledge of who he's about to drive with. She takes the parking lot, turns at high speeds and spins out while reversing, weaving in and out of cones. It seems like she should have not gotten her license for driving that fast and recklessly.
A
Gotten her license this place? No, she did, but it's a dcom.
B
It's a decom. She comes to a screeching halt. The instructor loved it, and she passed with flying colors.
A
However, parallel parking that giant truck was incredibly impressive.
B
That's.
A
Hey, I don't even. I don't even parallel park my SUV if it's not, like, the biggest space in the world.
B
She's Erica Enders.
A
She can do anything. It was. It was impressive. I'm not gonna lie.
B
It was. We are now back at school. It's time for a volleyball game, and Erica is still mesmerized by the boys. Luann wants to know if she'll be at Ice Tracks on Friday night, but Erica doesn't have a date. Luann encourages her to ask Hottie hot. Hotson hots and hottie hot basketball player Todd. But Erica's nervous, and just then, Todd starts to walk toward her, but is intercepted by those two girl volleyball. Those floozies.
A
Bullies to the max.
B
Then it's bullies and floozies. They're bluesies. Thank you, T.M. then it's Friday night at Erica's house, and there's someone at the door. It's Randy. He's her date tonight, and he's freaking out. He's never skated before. Erica assures him she hasn't either, so he'll be fine. And do we love this couple?
A
I did love their friendship. And I loved the line before. Says, I wanna take somebody I like, somebody I can have fun with. And then, boom, we see Randy. And it was like, this is. This is great. This is a great friendship.
B
I wanted them to be a couple. I just wanted them to be a couple. I really did. But not with Todd. Around God. My guess is Todd was front and center at chocolate party. And Randy, he was not. Erica drives him to the rink in her truck, and we notice her license plate frame reads, this is not my boyfriend's truck. Now we're at the rink. Randy is still very nervous and shaky on the ice. Todd the smoke show, basketball players melting all the ice around him just being there. And he's a regular Gretzky on skates. He says hi, but is, you know, still with those chicks. Luann arrives dateless. Her dude showed up to her house smelling like beer, so she ditched him. A shocking beer and underage drinking reference in a decom is the one with the girl who literally dies in the car accident. The only other one where there's been underage drinking. No. Prom packed.
A
Prom packed. And then was it just. There was one where they had, like, solo cups.
B
We commented on it, but we didn't mention it. But we commented on this. Yes.
A
It regardless, is very rare.
B
Yeah.
A
Dcom. To get a beer drinking.
B
Okay.
A
Somewhat of a topic.
B
You're gonna say that the thing I'm saying right now is a lie to bring you it like. Like one of your gullible things, but this is the truth. You can Google it. Do you know the lines on solo cups are actually the measurements? So, like, the bottom line is an ounce. That's a shot. And then the next line is. I forget what it is.
A
I never even noticed.
B
Yeah, there's like three or four lines on a solo cup, and the top line is like the. The full can of beer. So that's a. Not a pint. Is it a pint of a. Whatever. A can. Eight ounces.
A
Eight ounces.
B
But they're all. It's. Those are all the actual measurements. Maybe it's 12, I don't know. But yeah, it's. Those are actual measurements.
A
I don't even notice, though, if I know there was lines in there.
B
Yeah, there's lines on them. There you go. That's for you. And that's true. The date looks like it's super fun. Even if Randy and Erica look it.
A
Up as you're like, it's true.
B
No, it's true. It's true. See, Lisa even wrote it's true. I just googled. Thank you. Everybody's checking. They're fact checking.
A
Thank you, ladies, for having my back. Don't you let him run over on me.
B
It's true. It's true.
A
Okay.
B
Thank you. The date looks super fun. Even if Randy and Erica ended up on their butts all night. After skating, Eric and Randy plan to go get something to eat. But Todd and those volleyball jerk faces. That's better. Are having car trouble. The girls call over their arch nemesis Erica and ask a favor. She quickly fixes their engine, and now it seems like they're patching things up up between the girls for good. Kind of nice. Todd invites her and Randy to a party at his house, but she says they already have plans. Playing hard to get?
A
No, I think it was. That was like more of like preface after hearing about drinking. She's like, not a kid that goes to parties and wants to be around.
B
No way. I think it was that. I think it was that she already had plans with her friends to go get some to with Randy to get something to eat. I think she's. She. I don't think it was about the drinking. I mean, you're in high school.
A
Okay, all right, well, you think. Well, then if that was the case, then, like, I don't know, maybe.
B
Why would she date Todd if Todd's gonna throw parties at his house with drinking? She would never date the guy. That's what it was about. That's true. And she's all in on Todd.
A
She's all in on Todd.
B
She is. Yeah. Seemed like a nice guy. But anyway, when Erica drops Randy off at home, he assures her she could have gone to the party, but she says, but there's a lot of she's. And he's. When Erica drops Randy off at home, he assures her that she could have gone to the party, but she says she didn't want to, which makes him wonder, could they date for real? The question shocks Erica, who responds in the worst possible way, saying, it'd be like dating your brother. There's nothing worse a guy could say. And as you seriously watch the soul leave this man's body, yes, it was so sad. But he puts a smile on like.
A
I didn't want to anyway.
B
I was kidding.
A
Did I even say that? I mean, I was just joking.
B
As he was dying inside and I loved him. Team Randy forever. She says she had a great time. And on his way out, he jokingly asked if she can set him up with Luan. Maybe Luan will like me. Oh, Randy, I love you. We're now back in French class. Erica is not happy about her be average progress report, so she stays after class to talk to the teacher. He explains that in order to get an A, she'll need to do extra credit and get an A on the final exam. But even with this plan in place, Back at home, her parents are not satisfied. Based on their earlier deal, this means she can only race in Houston. But the nationals are in Salt Lake City, coincidentally the decom capital of the United States. Erica tries to convince her dad to let her race, but he's not budging. A deal's a deal, and she must get her grades up. And I was like, okay, you've now been racing for years. You've moved it up to where you can be the national champion, and you're gonna not let her go because she has a B in French? Really? She's not failing anything. She has a B in French.
A
Yeah. But I feel like I would assume on a parent level, it's like, yeah.
B
Sounds like my parents, right?
A
Yeah. I'm gonna stick to my gun because again, she mentions like, this is not. This is not in cement just yet. I have to get an A on the final and then I'll have an A. I understand.
B
But at the way they're setting it up is she literally has an A in, in every single class, but a B in French. So we're pulling the chance for you to do the thing that literally could make you millions of dollars in sponsorship money.
A
That's it.
B
What are you gonna use more? The money you're gonna get for sponsorship or the grade in French in your life? It's like, come on.
A
My parents were like that with me, with, with acting and doing all the other things that I was doing. Like, like I had to keep my grades up because my dad said, I love that you have this dream. We are going to do everything we can to help you and support you. However, it is very important you have a plan B. And your plan B, Me too. So I had to keep my grades up.
B
I did, too. But there's no way in hell my parents would ever have said, oh, you booked this commercial or television show or something you have to do, but you just gotta be in class. So we're not gonna let you do that thing you just booked. They would never have done that ever, ever, ever. Because it's ridiculous that I mean to, to literally you're doing something that is life changing, that you're one of the best, you can be the best in the country at, but you're not going to do it because you have a extreme.
A
I would think that my parents, if I was like, failing a class, would be like, yeah, no, that's different.
B
That's totally different. Or if she's got. She's a CDF student and she's failing at every. No They've set it up to where she has A's in every class but a B in French. So now you can't go be the.
A
Best at what you do nowadays. That would be 100% sure. You have to have, like, a 4.7 to get into anywhere.
B
Yeah. Now it's insane. I'm guessing most colleges would be pretty impressed if you were the national champion at something.
A
That's true.
B
I'm guessing that's going to look better on a resume than a B in French.
A
Yes, that's true.
B
I mean, I do think booking the.
A
Cheetah Girls might have helped me.
B
You think I'm kidding.
A
No, of course it did.
B
No, of course it did. I booked. I was. I was an okay student in high school. I was not a good student by any stretch of the imagination. Yeah, there you go. Interesting thought. She's more likely to get into college by winning the race than getting AN A. Absolutely. 100. True.
A
That's true.
B
I was not a good student. I did the best I could, but it was all about acting for me. And I still got into amazing colleges because I was on Boy Meets World. That's why it wasn't my grades. Yeah, it's. It's.
A
I didn't have extracurricular stuff yet, but. Yeah. I mean, you go in and you're like, this is what my passion is. This is what I'm wanting to do, but I still want to get a degree. Like, that's still something I'm wanting to do.
B
Again, what do you think is going to sound better? I had six A's. Or I had five A's and a B and was the national champion drag strip. Come on. That's not even a question, by the way, Saying something in your kitchen and seeing. And saying in your kitchen, hey, you've got to do this. This is the deal we've made. Not sure that's legally binding. Yeah. Anyway, back at school, Erica's all alone in the library, feverishly studying French, because God forbid she only gets a B. When that hearty heartthrob. Hearty part. Hotsy, hots and hots and guy Todd, arrives again. They have a flirty conversation that ends with him offering to tutor her. So apparently he's also bilingual. You know what I'm saying? So we get a montage of the various vocabulary work and touching each other's noses.
A
It starts to get a little. This is another dcom rarity. It starts. I mean, the touching.
B
Oh, yeah.
A
Easily a great actor in the way of, like, playing that, like, smoother And I mean the French words. It just was starting to go like, oh, right.
B
I thought he was gonna teach you some French kissing. I'll be honest with you, I did too.
A
I thought this was gonna be where we get a kiss.
B
Yeah, I did.
A
But it's that close.
B
I don't want them together anyway because it's gonna hurt Randy. And I'm all about Randy.
A
Randy's good.
B
Randy's great. Randy's not good. Randy's great.
A
Randy and Courtney get together, it's fine.
B
That'd be great. And after a full day of work, he asked her out to a movie. But her weekends are just so busy with racing, she can't find an open day. Todd thinks she's just blowing him off and now she's going to die alone. She's bummed and about to drive off when Luann stops her. She's got last year's French final and the teacher never changes the test. Erica doesn't want to cheat, but Luann promises her it's just a study aid. No, Luann, that's flat out cheating.
A
Yes.
B
The next day it's a girls volleyball game and we see Erica performing a game winning spike. Congrats to her. But hilariously, it's executed by one of the worst body doubles we've ever seen. On magical rewind. Because Beverly in real life is 5:2, so there's no way in the world she's spiking a volleyball. Either way, the team celebrates because they're going to the volleyball finals this Saturday at 9am Luckily, Erica only has a race the night before and knows if they leave right away, they could still make it back in time. Time. So now we're back on the track. Erica is racing that weekend and continuing to win. As planned, the family leaves at night, but on their way home, the RV breaks down, leaving them stranded on the side of the road. Erica is stressing while her dad works on the engine. She needs to get back for volleyball, but he's not sure they're going to make it in time. The next morning, we see the RV arrive at school. I swear to God, I thought they were going to make it. It just in time to see her team lose. She sprints into the gym, but it's too late. And now her coach and teammates are mad at her. They got crushed. Even her coach is like, way to go, you stupid jerk. I was like, oh my God.
A
It was. I mean, it. The family, obviously the family would have, you know, the dad or the mom would have let the coach know, like hey, we've got this. This is her main priority. We have this. Even if we make it back, like, like it's going to be cutting it close.
B
Also, how good is your team? If the entire team revolves around the five foot two member.
A
One person, your team sucks.
B
Coach, it's not her fault there.
A
That's insane. That's insane.
B
Insane. That night, Erica's still tirelessly, tirelessly studying for finals, still unsure if she can pull this off. With the pressure of her nearby racing trophy, she knows what she has to do. She pulls out Luan's French final, but instead of cheating, she decides to just tear it up. And when her dad gets home from work, he hears metal being tossed around. It's Erica putting her trophies in storage. She's quitting racing. She tells her dad she has no friends and can't seem to get her life in order. With the French final tomorrow, she just doesn't feel any of this is worth it anymore. Her dad admits he gets where she's coming from and that it's okay if she wants to quit. Another good. I was shocked, but I guess a good message, especially if you're young. Like, if you're truly not having fun anymore, I'm not going to force you to do this.
A
Yes, that I agree with. However, I think this would have been the moment. He could have said, said, look, we know that we've put a lot of pressure on you about your grades. That's not worth it for you to go ahead and just give this all up. If you get a B, that's okay. We can still raise 3.9 average. We could have had it, you know, if there was a moment. Instead he's like, hey, you want to give up?
B
Yeah.
A
Yes, you can.
B
That's true. He did let her quit awfully fast.
A
Because it's not just about her now. She's got a sponsor, she has a contract. If I assume. Like, can you imagine Just quit tonight. Let's talk about it in the morning. Let's. Let's go over it. Get some rest.
B
Can you imagine calling Pennzoil and saying, thank you for the multi millions of dollars you give me, but my daughter got a B, so we're not gonna let her race.
A
That's what I mean. That's what he would have backed off.
B
Yes. I'm telling her, take your test.
A
No matter how you do, it shouldn't matter. This. Nothing should be stressing you out this much.
B
So not only, not only do I have to be a racer and a national champion, but I need to have perfect grades. Yeah, that's the standard you're setting for me. That's insane. Oh, my God. And it's. Yeah. Anyway, she's quitting racing. She tells her dad she has no friends and can't seem to get her life in order. With the French final tomorrow, she just doesn't feel like any of it's worth any anything anymore, which is a lot of emphasis on French. Her dad admits he gets where she's coming from and it's okay if she wants to quit. Erica is shocked. She expected him to be mad, but he's just surprised. She's a really talented driver, but he has her back and loves her no matter what. He kisses her forehead and tells her to get some rest for the big day tomorrow, obviously meaning French because it's so important in that family. The next morning, on her way into school, Erica bumps into desert island dreamboat Todd.
A
Todd, desert island. Oh, God.
B
Bon crayon es large.
A
Fast forward. He's on one of these reality shows on an island.
B
I don't know why. The only thing I know how to say is, my pencil is big. And that's literally what I just said was, bon crayon is large. Isn't that awful that for some reason that's the only thing I know how to say in French? My God.
A
What do you mean exactly?
B
I guess from a movie that I grew up watching called Gotcha with Anthony Edwards, and he's learning French and all he can say is, my pencil is big and yellow. He says, bon crayon est large, bon crayon est gent, or something like that. It's my pencil is big and yellow. That's all he knows how to say. So, yeah, that's the.
A
Oh, my gosh, that's my French.
B
And I can do the voulez vousche thing, but who does that anymore? Anyway, he's wearing his letterman jacket, which he appears to wear day and night. He probably bathes in it. She apologizes for the other day. She wasn't trying to be rude, but he's obviously still bothered by it. She does want to go out with him, and now that she's quit racing, she has free time. He thinks it's crazy. She quit, obviously, and promises to call her later. We rejoin Erica as she finishes up her French final. Super important, and she seems pretty confident with her performance. Back at home, Erica is watching Courtney leave for the race with Randy and her dad. She's obviously bummed, but wishes them luck now with a rare free weekend. She has no idea what to do with herself. She's just bored and sad and laying around the house. At the racetrack, Courtney continues her winning streak, forcing Randy and Greg to perform a celebration that includes the running man and a chest bump. And once the weekend's over, they return home to Erica asking Courtney how she did. But instead of an answer, her little sister gives her some real sassy. And that night, while getting ready for bed, the girls finally talk it out. Courtney is mad that Erica quit because now racing isn't fun without her. Erica explains she quit because of reasons that are hard to explain, which isn't explaining anything. But Courtney thinks it's because she's scared she'll lose to someone, maybe even her. And now, back at school, Erica got her French final back because now this film is just about French. And she got an A. Hey, she did it. She jumps up and squeals. Yes. We include class, startling everyone in the process. And just like that, she's unpacking her trophies and returning to racing. She's back on the track like she didn't miss a day. So she qualifies for the Nationals. Impressive. 8.87 seconds. She quit for a weekend.
A
That was it.
B
That was it. She literally quit for 48 hours.
A
I'm sure I haven't raised one yet, but I'm sure very quickly how things change within a teenager.
B
I was going to say, it's actually very teenager to be like, I'm back.
A
I all right, now I'm good.
B
Now I'm good. Yeah. And then she wants to take another trial run. She notices her name isn't scheduled. The national official has a sketchy reason about someone getting scratched and making an odd number of racers in her age bracket. But since she has her time now, it shouldn't be an issue. But she definitely wants to practice. Courtney overhears the issue and volunteers to race her sister. Since they have the same type of car, Erica is hesitant, but as long as her parents don't object, they allow it outside of competition. And now we have the race we've wanted. People enders versus as enders. The girls cars make their way to the starting line and okay, they obviously do this to warm up the tires, but it's. To me, one of the coolest things is seeing how they, like, push the car sideways.
A
Yeah.
B
And they, like, throw it sideways and then you jam it back the other way with the thing. That was like, you need control of the car to do that. That was super cool.
A
It took me a while to realize they were doing it on purpose.
B
Yeah, yeah. It's like, it's like, what's happening?
A
And then I'm like, oh, I think it's like a warm up thing.
B
Yeah, they warm up the tires and they like throw in the back end one way and you got to jam it the other way. It was. You need super, super amazing control of that vehicle to do that. And it was really cool.
A
I tried to do something like that, like a go kart and I'm hitting the wall.
B
A go kart. You've been pulled over on your drive to the go kart track. That's what you said.
A
True.
B
The girls cars make their way to the starting line. And even though it's just practice, the crowd is interested. In this first ever sibling rivalry battle, Randy is put in charge of both racers, even though hopefully, as Sabrina said, he's going to end up with Courtney because I don't like this guy with. I don't like Erica with Todd. And as her parents realize, no matter who wins, it's going to be a long drive home. And then we get a green light and the race is on. They're neck and neck the whole race, but Courtney pulls it off, winning by just a few milliseconds. She's concerned her older sister let her win, but Erica assures her she just got a bad start. So Courtney suggests she loosens up. And in return, Erica challenges her to the grudge match again. And this time, Erica does relax and focuses on her breathing, leading her to a big breakaway victory. She may have just cracked the code. That night, the family drives home, but Erica can't sleep. She wakes up her sister to thank her for the advice. She's going to relax now when she faces Jordi in the trial. This is what was something that I thought was really interesting when she says to her, the only time you lose is when you really want to win.
A
Yeah.
B
And I thought that was kind of a good message. Like when you really want to win, you lose. So relax.
A
Yeah, you overthink, you hesitate, you do certain things for sure.
B
And you're not fluent in French. So how good are you? The next morning, while making breakfast, Erica sees an ESPN report, or an Espen report, as I like to call it, about the weekend's event in Phoenix. The anchor highlights a promising race between Erica and that Nepo baby Jordy in the teenage division, which is cool, but also unlikely, something you're gonna actually see on SportsCenter. Right then, Beefy beefcake, Beefcake Beeferson Todd shows up at the house with a good luck teddy bear. Come on, Todd. Erica runs down to say hi all while dad watches on from the grass. He's concerned, but Janet Leigh convinces him to chill. Cause that's one thing this girl needs in her life is more stuff. More stuff to worry about. Now let's get her dating. Todd promises to watch the race with some friends at his house. And the relationship is also off to the races. And I just heard Randy die in the background. And so I'm team Randy. I'm always team Randy. And so, next thing you know, we're at nationals, an event with tens of thousands in attendance and the best junior races in the world competing. We see the Ender's truck arrive, and it looks like they filmed this at a real race. I mean, it's. There's no way these are all extras. There's no way this. I mean, it was also. The image got blurrier, so it's obviously from a different camera. I mean, these. This was stock footage of a real race or they filmed this part at a real race. You really got the feeling it was. You felt the vibe for sure.
A
It was heightened for, like, you definitely felt like the emphasis on this race.
B
Totally. Now Erica can't believe how many of the fans there are. Young girls holding up signs and excited to see her race. Race reporters are even interviewing her, but only asking what it feels like to be the only girl on the track. She's like, hey, I'm everybody else here. I'm just eraser. Leave me alone.
A
Yes.
B
We rejoin her later with two impressive wins already under her belt. It's the semifinals and the will. And the winner will face Jordy tomorrow in the finals. She wins easily, and now the stage is set. Jordy and his dad were watching on, too, and now feel like they have to do something about this. Running off to the commissioner. What a bunch of. Of dicks. We find out they're accusing Greg of having too many GS in his name. I'm kidding. Of cheating. Because Erica had a dozen perfect starts in a row, and he's a computer genius. He must be up to something. Erica argues she's been practicing her reaction time with every free minute she has. But Jordi's dad has filed an official protest. Now she's on hold until the matter is investigated properly. Randy oversees the committee search for illegal items on her car, which continues through the night. When all is said and done, obviously there's no evidence of cheating. She wouldn't even cheat on a French test. The protest has been dismissed. Jordi's dad wants to appeal, but Jordy wants him to drop it. They end up agreeing that this will be solved at the race tomorrow, which is how it should be. That night, Erica catches a dance off. I mean, oh, now I wanted it to be a dance off. Damn it. You just ruined the movie for me. That night, Erica can't sleep again. But this time, it's Courtney that strikes up a conversation station. She says even though they fight sometimes, she could never race without her big sister. The sport was for boys. But then Erica had the guts to race anyway, and now it's easier for everyone. No matter what happens against Jordy, she's very proud of her big sister. It was a nice moment. So the sun rises on the final day of racing, and Erica is up early. She goes searching for Randy because Randy's the heart of everything and finds him sleeping inside the car. He was up all night making sure the officials put everything back together correctly. He only trusts himself. What a cutie pie. He's also stuck inside the car, which is fun. Yeah.
A
They didn't.
B
It's. Yes.
A
How was he gonna do.
B
It's like, did they build it around him? He fell asleep and they just built the car around him. He wakes up on the starting line. What the hell? It is time for the big race and Piggy Perfect 10. Todd is at his watch party with dozens of other kids from the school and the French teacher, if you noticed, cheering her on. Jordi and Erica make it to the starting line just in time for the sisters to share an awkward secret hand handshake. The drivers put on their helmets, and it's time to put the pedal to the metal. Greg gives his daughter one last rock and roll. Stick em. As the engines purr, Erica readies herself for the green light and hears all the haters in her head. They never thought a little girl could make it to the finals, and yet here she is. And she's always been nervous to lose to Jordi. With all the repeated thoughts and doubts, she accidentally hits the gas and almost false starts again. She quickly regains her composure and remembers her sister's advice. Take a deep breath, relax, and think of Randy. I added the last part. And instead of intrusive thoughts, Erica hears words of passion and encouragement. And within the calm, the lights turn green. The races are off, and they're trading off the lead back and forth. Jordi, then Erica, Erica, then Jordy. And at the finish line, Erica takes over and wins. Her family, Randy, Todd, watch party. Everyone's ecstatic. Erica can't believe it. Her dreams have come true. Now, alone at the finish line, Jordy puts aside his frustration and congratulates Erica. Hey, maybe he's not as as much of a as his dad. They compliment each other and agree on a rematch. Soon, Erica reunites with her crew for the trophy ceremony where she's crowned the new NHRA Junior champion. She kisses the trophy and holds it above her head as she basks in the applause. She invites Courtney to share the stage with her. She tells her to get used to it. She's next. We zoom in on the trophy one last time and we get some updates about Erica, who was the NHRA Rookie of the Year in 2001 while winning 37 Junior Drag Racing championships and attending Texas A and M. I'm guessing that drag racing got her in more than the A in French. And in addition to that, Courtney has won 26 junior drag racing championships as well. We get to see a picture of the real pioneers, Erica and Courtney Enders. And that's our movie. Real reviews. Sabrina, what do you got? I think you got the five star.
A
I got the five star.
B
I hope it just says I love randy. Randy forever. Five stars.
A
This is a good one actually. Five star here from Bronson Bros. 9.
B
Something like that.
A
Sounds like a bro because it goes Beverly Mitchell is so, so, so hot, hot, hot. It was the coolest movie ever because it had Racine and Beverly Mitchell in it. She is really hot. So so is the other girl in it. I also like it because it is a real story about a girl and what happened to her and all that. This is why I really like the movie.
B
Five stars. Okay.
A
And all that and all that stuff.
B
And all that stuff. All the stuff that happened to her and all that.
A
Broast nine.
B
Thank you, Brost nine. I have the one star. It is from our old friend Unamid. Yes, that's right. Unnamed is back again and says simply, very cheaply done. Should have had more crashes. Oh, Namud, wherever you are, think about why you'd want to do something like that. You strange, strange man or woman. Okay, now we're to Sabrina's favorite part of the program. But again, I don't think producer Jensen is here, so we'll probably do fine. Yeah, it is one we're familiar with. It's Hang 4. It's a reoccurring game we haven't seen in a while. We originally played for Teen Beach. I think Johnny Tsunami and Motocrossed will be given four terms directly from the recapped niche dcom sport. In this case drag racing with multiple choice options. We have to pick the correct definition as is given to us from the website. Website race irp.com raceirp.com 3 out of 4 wins. Are we ready, Sabrina? And I believe we're playing with producer Lisa today. Am I right?
A
You are correct. Yes.
B
All right, here we go. Number one. Thank you. Thank you, producer Lisa. See, at least we got a. We got a good luck.
A
From producer Lisa checks these.
B
Yeah, we're Lisa.
A
Absolutely not.
B
Here we go. Number one Christmas tree. Is that a colorful glow from your lead car's brake lights? B, the colors omitted from sirens after a crash, C, the colorful device at the starting line or D, a decorated tree you display in your house during Christmas? What do you got, Sabrina?
A
I would say it would be the colorful device at the starting line.
B
I know that. I know that for a fact that in a race that's called the Christmas tree. So I'm going to say C as well.
A
Okay, it is C. All right.
B
There were one for one to a good start. Number two. ET Is that A, the time it takes a vehicle to travel from start to finish, B, the emergency vehicle used to transport drivers after a crash, C, the measured torque of a race tire or B, a friendly alien who befriends a neighborhood boy only to be harassed and captured by the government? In all fairness, it is D, but that's not going to count.
A
I would say A, the time it takes a vehicle to travel from start to finish. I'm.
B
I'm gonna. I'm gonna agree with you. I'm gonna say A.
A
It's obviously D. No, I'm just kidding. It's A. It stands for elapsed time.
B
Elapsed time. There we go. We're two for two. Number three shoe, is it A, a protective cover placed around a tire while not racing, B, a quick turn, C, another name for driver or D, a piece of footwear designed to protect and support the foot while walking or running. I'd like to point out if we just pick D every time we. Do you want me to go first this time? Sure.
A
I'm kind of not sure I would.
B
Normally say it's a, a protective cover placed around a tire while not racing because I know that they do that to keep the tires warm. But I feel like he wouldn't do two A's in a row.
A
He might.
B
I'm gonna stick with it.
A
Called a boot.
B
Oh, maybe that would be a boot. But then it's not a quick turn cuz they're going straight.
A
Straight right. There you go.
B
Oh, but maybe that's what it is. Maybe that's why they call it that. It's like if you shoe out or something. I think I'm overthinking. You're gonna go with A. I'm gonna go with B. A quick turn.
A
I have it down as C. It's.
B
Another name for a driver. Okay, so we need this one to win. Here we go. Number four, bubble. Is it A, the nickname giving to the netting used to stop a runaway car. B, the last place in a qualifying round. C, the top layer of protection on a drag car. Or D, thin, hollow sphere of liquid enclosed in air or gas. Again, if I go with D, we win.
A
I'm gonna do C, the top layer of the protection on the drag car.
B
I'm gonna say B, the last place in the qualifying round. Cause you're on the bubble.
A
It is B. Yeah, it is B. Dang it.
B
Yes. Yes.
A
The will wins. Will wins.
B
Thank you. Thank you, producer Lisa. Appreciate it. And now can we do A. Sabrina Sarah seas.
A
Yes. All right. So we, you know, went through quite a bit of them, but didn't really. The questions I have on this, when we're at the very beginning of the the movie and she has training wheels, what is the proper. Because Monroe has them. Right. She's five. And I'm so antsy to get those things off because I think she should be riding a bike.
B
I agree. Agree.
A
This girl was not five even. She looked like she was like three.
B
Oh, really? You thought you looked older? I thought she looked younger.
A
No, she looked like she was like 6 or 7. She just seemed really old to have those training wheels, which. Not that you should bully anyone, but I mean, there's kind of, like, reason to have the, like, little bit of.
B
Like, justifying a little bully.
A
A little bit of justification. Just a tiny bit.
B
Not tiny.
A
Too much. Then we like fast forward a little bit and they're in class playing with Play D'oh. I'm going, am I crazy right now or like, I'm getting stuck on these? This is why they're Sabrina seeds. Because I'm like play DOH at their age for during class time. Like, I feel like play DOH gets done after, like, kindergarten. Like, I don't think I use play DOH in class during first grade and on.
B
No that use it at home.
A
So we're just kind of feel like the 8 age.
B
I also not a little questionable not to jump in on your Sabrina seas, but did it. Did it also throw you at all? Like, it took me a second to realize that the young Girl in the. The Training wheels was then supposed to be the same girl building the play DOH thing. Like I thought that was the two sisters at first. And I was like, oh wait, that's now that's supposed to be the same girl.
A
Yeah. No, because that was like kind of too close in age to be doing.
B
Yeah, it was different actor. I agree.
A
You know what I mean?
B
Yep. Yeah.
A
And then I just really got hung up on. I had to know what this guy's name was. The hillbilly. At the beginning, I had to know his name was. I stopped and like zoomed in as much as I could go out on my phone. And it's like Charles, which we know obviously this douche goes by Chaz. Like obviously like hated that guy. That's so mean. Or Chuck. Chuck or Chaz. Yeah.
B
I. Probably not Charles Wendington iii. No. Yes.
A
So he. He annoyed me a lot right from the start. I'm like, oh man, we are really gonna push this whole like girls can't do stuff.
B
Yeah.
A
Insane. This is not my favorite comment, but for some reason, Greg with the two GS, his hair drove me crazy. This whole movie did it really. It did. I don't know what I did. Just felt like. I don't know why it needed. I don't know. It looked it. I. I just couldn't. I was like, he's such a good looking guy. He was a great dad. His hair, I just. The hair. People on this show should have had him do something different. I couldn't handle it. The volleyball accident.
B
Handle it.
A
I couldn't. The volleyball accident. Was that not so. I mean she just kind of. Kind of fell like. Yeah, like. But like it was like by the time her mom sees it, it's like this just bleeding wound eating surgery, like needing some sutures or whatever. Holy cow. Oh man, the amount of ugly glasses now. I know we are set in a different time, but man, were the glasses horrible back then. And the fact that they're coming back into style now irks me so much.
B
Yeah, they're those Oakley wraparounds are. They were a specific look.
A
Yes, well. And I feel like drivers tend to have those kinds of glasses still no matter what decade we're talking about. The like I think it's because it.
B
Coat but I think it. Because they wrap around to here. It blocks off the periphery sun as well for when you're driving.
A
Okay.
B
I think.
A
Yeah, but they wear goggles. They're not wearing them.
B
That's true too. This is just. Yeah, that's true. Too.
A
They always seem to have these just weird Oakley glasses.
B
True too.
A
We talked about. Okay. This was a thing of me too that just kept catch. Catching my eye. And only because we watch so many of these movies that are. Are filmed in Utah. But I had a hard time of knowing when they were and weren't supposed to be in Utah because there was Utah stuff everywhere. Like the helicopter comes in was like Utah emergency center. Like there was just so much like does not. Does. Did not any of these races happen anywhere else? It was all like.
B
I mean, I have no idea.
A
It just was everywhere. Every.
B
It was everywhere.
A
There was. There was Utah stuff everywhere which we've seen. Like when they were supposed to be in something and they were like there was like a Toronto flag somewhere. You know, we've seen that. I don't think like they paid as much attention as they could have to that.
B
I would agree.
A
And then my last thing was. And this is the Cheetah Girl in me. Girl power all the way. There was a mismessaged moment that could have really been strong and good for the DCOM was she had this like, I'm just. I'm just another racer. I'm just another racer. Which part of me understands. She wants to be treated as everyone else. However, the Cheetah Girl in me could not. Not handle this. The. The message should have been I'm just in every other racer out there. But yes, I am excited to be a girl racer out there. And I hope this sets the tone and changes the minds of all young girls. Like you can do anything. Like that was like a moment where she could have had that strength. Yes, she's a teenager. But like that would have been such an empowering moment. I am just like everyone.
B
But.
A
But at the end of the day, it is true. I'm a girl and I'm just as good as these other boys. So this should be a moment that changes everyone else's mind. Like some kind of great messaging there would have been the only thing I was missing because the whole it is there right at the end. It says girls can race too. Like it's there. But for her to stand up and take that moment.
B
Yeah.
A
Was what I needed a little bit from the movie and it didn't give it to me. That was the perfect time when all those press was coming out matter.
B
I think it's also. It's. It's. It's supposed to take place what, in 91, 92, something like that.
A
Yeah. Right when the Spice Girls were out.
B
I was gonna say it's kind of like. No, it's not yet. I think it's a little pre girl power, like, Right. Pre girl power. Where it was still like, I just want to be treated like. Like this the same way everybody else is treated.
A
Which is fine, but.
B
Right.
A
That's the only part that I really kind of.
B
I love the cheetah in you.
A
I. The cheetah in me just couldn't like. It was just like.
B
I love it.
A
Dang it. We could have had that girl power moment because this movie was definitely about girl power.
B
Oh, 100%.
A
I. I loved it. Like I said, 100%. Thank you, by the way. It didn't really affect my score much.
B
No, no, no. Nor me. Yeah. Well, speaking of which, it's now time to rate our film and our options for this week. We're gonna do. Because it's racing. We're gonna do one to ten. Ten with one being the least.
A
The first one's so good.
B
I know. We might have to do just the first one. It's one to ten Chuds on Bikes. Jerk dad Crew chiefs, one to ten Chocolate and Hot Guys. Teenage car repairman Randy's baked beans. 1 to 10 weirdo youth drag car reporters. 1 to 10 brother dates. 1 to 10 cans of Pennzoil or 1 to 10 short Beverly Mitchell volleyball Spikes. I think I get to pick this week. And how do you not go with Chuds on B?
A
Chuds on Bikes is just so good.
B
It sounds like an 80s techno band from Germany via Chuds on Bikes. So am I wrong? It does. All right, so here we go. I don't know who votes now? Like, who's first? Who's up?
A
I forgot you made me go first on my movie. I remember that because I was a little sore about it.
B
I know. Then it's my turn. You know, I liked this movie. I did it. To me, it's kind of like exactly what a decom is supposed to be. He brings you into a little micro world. I love that. It's based on a true story. It does show the girl power in a different way, but it does show the girl power. Beverly Mitchell is Beverly. I mean, she's a very, very competent actress. Young Brie Larson. I thought the. The. The only big ding I have is the. The score, which to me was just very heavy handed. Yeah, but I liked the scene movie.
A
I disagree on that score.
B
Yeah, I know. Again, I liked the music. I didn't like the score. It was just too much. But I. Overall, I like this movie. I'm going to give this movie a solid 8chuds on bikes. I thought this was a fun decom. It was a fast, easy watch. The acting is good. I loved learning about the world. The whole French thing was stupid, obviously, but that's more about the family than it is about the, like, the priorities of the family than it is about the movie itself. Because I'm guessing they probably took that from real life. And. And it's like, really, you're going to pull the nationals from her? Because she's got to be. Come on. What's French for give me a break? So, yeah, so I am sticking with. Exactly. I am sticking with a solid 8 chuds on bikes. What do you got?
A
I like. I said I liked this movie. If we had what our. We should make some kind of bulletin board of the points of what make a good dcom. This checks all the boxes for me.
B
I agree.
A
And I, I thought, you know, like I said, the messaging there, the girl power. If there was any tiny thing for me, it would have been her to be a little bit more of an advocate of it herself. But for most part, maybe that wasn't her story. Like, she just did it in the proof of the pudding. You know what I mean? She just really, like, she did it with her scores, with her win. She didn't need to. Wasn't a person that felt like she had to say that, you know, publicly, which is okay too. I thought, like you said, the speed of this, like every. I never was. There was never a moment where I was like, okay, I gotta take a bathroom break. Like, there was never a moment. I was. I was locked in. I was searching for Sabrina Sees because so much of it was so good. Nothing really, really crazy popped out at me. So I'm also going to give it and. And. But I'm gonna bump it up a little bit more because I. I needed this, like, good dcom. That wasn't a musical. That was literally just story driven. I needed it. And it's an 8.5-chuds on bikes for me. It's such a good movie. If you have not watched it in a while, it is worth, worth, worth going back and rewatching this.
B
It is it. Definitely. This was my first watch, obviously, and it was good. Oh, you got something. I forgot something.
A
I forgot a Sabrina Seas. Hold on. I've got it up on my computer too, because I went ahead and made sure I knew what I was talking about Because I heard the voice. I could tell it was my girl Hilary Duff performing one of the songs within the soundtrack on the movie. And I looked it up and it is. It's called I Can't wait. Written by somebody I got to work with very well along others. But his name is Matthew Gerard. He was a epic. He would be great for the podcast because he has written so many of DCOM movies songs. And I, I listened to it and I was like, that's Hillary Duff. That's Hilary Duff. Which I think at this time was a great get for this movie too. I'm sure that really helped push the drive in this movie.
B
Good one. Well, thank you everybody for joining us this time. It was a good movie. It very much was. You got to go check it out. But our next movie, I don't know if the next one's going to be as good, but it has even more recognizable names. We're watching 2001's DCOM Hounded star Taj Mowry, Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Paxton, and Ed Begley Jr. Who I just hung out with not that long ago, who could not have been a nicer human being. Seriously, I was like everything you hope Ed Begley is, he was that and more. The school focused comedy is available now to watch on Disney. I know nothing about this movie. I'm guessing hounded. They turn into dogs. Something with dogs.
A
Oh, I hope it's not like the last dog one we watched.
B
Oh, with Kirk Cameron. God, that movie was good. I've seen it ten times since. No, I'm kidding. It was awful and my eyes burned afterwards. So you've got your homework, people. Go check out Hounded. And if you've got the time, spend some time with the dedicated Magical Rewind podcast feed on all your favorite streaming services. We've got two years of recaps on here and dozens of incredible interviews with DCOM legends. Just search Magical Rewind and follow us on Instagram hemagicalrewindpod for more information. And by the way, we are very happy to tell you that we're not done yet. We just found out we're doing a lot more of these, so we're not going anywhere soon, people. So enjoy watching with us. As I said, we're like over a 100 decoms now and there's still like 8 billion left to go. So not get rid of us yet. Thanks, everybody. See you next time.
A
Bye bye. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Podcast: Pod Meets World
Episode: Right On Track
Hosts: Danielle, Will Friedle, Rider Strong, Sabrina
Theme: Rewatch & deep-dive into the 2003 Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) "Right On Track," its real-life inspirations, memorable sports movie tropes, behind-the-scenes trivia, and plenty of tangents about 90s nostalgia, gender in sports, and adolescent ambition.
This episode takes listeners on a rewatch journey of “Right On Track,” a 2003 DCOM based on the true story of Erica and Courtney Enders—sisters who broke barriers in the male-dominated world of junior drag racing. The hosts discuss the film’s authenticity, empowering messages, casting surprises (including then up-and-comer Brie Larson), and the movie's reception as a classic sports DCOM. Along the way, they share personal stories, dissect the movie's lessons, and critique both the highlights and flaws of the DCOM formula.
Will: 8 Chuds on Bikes out of 10
Sabrina: 8.5 Chuds on Bikes out of 10
— “Fast, easy watch… acted well… girl power”
— “Needed a good, story-driven DCOM that wasn’t a musical.”
“You’re doing something that is life changing, that you're one of the best in the country at, but you’re not going to do it because you have a B in French? ...That’s ridiculous.”
—Will [51:31]“This movie was about girl power... but I wanted that Cheetah Girls moment for her to say, 'Yeah, I'm a racer—and yes, I’m a girl.'"
—Sabrina [80:45]
Next episode preview: The crew will be recapping 2001’s “Hounded” (starring Shia LaBeouf and Taj Mowry).
Connect: Magical Rewind podcast feed & Instagram: @magicalrewindpod