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Movies like Madison make me wonder about Hollywood. This movie was clearly made a while ago and got shelved for whatever reason. (You can tell by the fact that Jake Lloyd looks pretty much the same age as he was in 1999 when he "starred" in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.) But, the only reason this movie is getting any kind of release is because some genius decided to capitalize on the fame of Jim Caviezel after he starred in The Passion of the Christ. Alright, The Passion came out more than a year ago, but it was about that time that we first started hearing about this movie. Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of Jim Caviezel -- from his days long before The Passion. But what took so long?

Based on actual events, the movie stars Caviezel as Jim McCormick, a man who lays it all on the line and enters the 1971 Gold Cup Championship hydroplane boat race for the $50,000 grand prize. Along for the ride are his wife (Mary McCormack) and his son (Jake Lloyd) and a legendary mechanic (Bruce Dern). Of course, this is Hollywood and it is a sports movie, so you can pretty much guess how it ends.

Special features on this DVd include a featurette titled "Madison: Beyond the Thunder" which looks at the true events that the movie is based upon. There are also previews for some other DVD releases.

Like "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius", Madison was promoted on the heels of Jim Caviezel's rise to fame and not on it's own merits. It's not that Madison was a bad movie. It was somewhat inspirational. I just wonder about the whole logic of its release. I'm sure I don't know the whole story. I guess I could look it up online to learn more but I couldn't be bothered. It just seems a little convenient – and a little unfortunate.