What I learnt from Rush

I went and saw Rush last night - I love Niki Lauda, so when I saw the ads and the poster, I was a little worried he'd be vilified for the sake of a good story, like Prost was in the Senna documentary (so not how it happened, peeps!) but the film is a really sweet little film with the Ron Howard touch, so if anything, it went into kindness overdrive on both parts.

I don't think you have to like Formula 1 to like it, but in my row, there were four people that did, and we laughed before jokes were made, because we knew what was coming (in a couple of cases). It was nice to be sitting in the row with infectious goodwill towards the subjects.

Without further ado, here's what I learned:

1.That Thor guy is very good looking, but I still liked Niki more, which means even when someone is fictionally pretending to be someone I like, I don't notice the looks of others. Which I think means something good about me, but it could mean I'm losing my eye sight.

2. Tyrells made a 6 wheel car. I need to investigate what on earth were they thinking??

3. The film should have been called Drive. Both men wanted to drive above all, both earned drives with F1 teams and Niki Lauda had an amazing amount of drive, from when he set his mind to becoming a professional race car driver to the incidents of '76. Astounding - the original poster boy for Nike's Just Do It.  I'll investigate why they went with Rush and get back to you (guessing that movie with Ryan Gosling was too recent to replicate the name).

4. Those floppy hats in the '70's should never have gone out of fashion. We'd all look so much cuter sporting them. I might get myself one...

5. I have no idea what made the film MA15+. The pot smoking?

6. I went to Monaco Grand Prix, and was watching practice inside the restaurant at Rascasse. Every time a driver walked into the pits, all the Americans would race over and take their photo but I'd just watch. Then Niki Lauda walked past, and I jumped up on my chair and leapt over the table (alcohol may have aided this agility) to get his photo (even though he hadn't raced for 10 years). This American came over and said 'We've all been wondering about you, you seemed so cool about it all. But it's Niki Lauda. All the girls love Niki Lauda". In the film when the reporter asks THAT question, that voice ran through my head "All the girls love Niki Lauda". Proving, that no matter how hideous the thing you're dealing with at the moment, time will put it in perspective. What he thought would horrify people made no difference at all. Hard to do, but it's something I'm going to try to remember, as life throws ugly issues my way.

7. "What's important is how it feels to me, and it feels like he adores me". A reminder that there is no reality, only perception, so keep that in mind when you see your partner tonight, and make them feel that you adore them...

8. Basically, don't see an fierce foe as a curse, it can be used to great advantage "A wise man will learn more from his enemies than a fool does from his friends"

9. I love in sports movies, that even when you know what the outcome is, you sit there, on the edge of your seat, hoping that the outcome is different. It happened twice for me in this film!

10. The biggest thing I learnt from Rush was that I miss Murray Walker. For those that have no idea what that means, he was a commentator  synonymous with F1. He was passionate and opinionated, he got things wrong but everyone loved him. His voice features in the film in the media, and I just started grinning like a loon as soon as I heard it. It's just not been the same since.

PS I also saw Lauda at the Opera House, kindly posing for photos with Japanese tourists. I stood at a safe distance and blushingly grinned like a school girl. Funny how fame and adoration can reduce a grown woman to an imbecile. I didn't watch F1 when he raced, but his legend is that of folklore and any F1 fan can tell at least 3 Lauda stories...

Linking up with Essentially jess for IBOT

This still makes me smile! (Maybe I'm just an imbecile that became a grown woman?)

Message to Ron Howard - if you are reading (like I'm sure you are), how do we avid fans get our hands on a copy of Arrested Development (new season) when we aren't allowed Netflicks? Please, please release a DVD for us downtrodden downunder!!