Kiwi Flyer (2012) Reviews

• A great kids fun movie

  tim-451-8289772012-09-26

  Kiwi Flyer is a great little kids movie centered around the iconic Collingwood St Trolley Derby that has been running off and on since the early 60's. The movie is a lot of good clean fun and follows 12 year old Ben's attempts to win the Derby... he has to contend with a devious Aussie used car dealer who is determined that his family will win at any cost.... so don't expect this movie to be a big seller over the ditch in Australia but Kiwi's will love it ( we love anything that beats Australia ! ) It is a fun filled , fast moving , clean movie ( except for a few pooh jokes that the kids find very funny) that kids will love. It is fun and a return to old values that we see very little of these days and there are some good performances by the international and local cast. Nelson shows up as one of the major players ... filmed in great sunny weather the city and it's surrounds really shine ... If you are planning a trip here see the movie or if not you will be after you see it. This is a must see for your kids ( 6 to 12 ) these holidays and the adults will enjoy this as well ... it is a fun, easy watch enjoy it as it is all about life and kids finding their way ... Fun fun fun .... 4 stars ....

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• Enjoyable family viewing

  grant_smith2012-10-04

  This movie was very much a feel good family movie. I took my 9 year old along because my wife had read about it and thought our son might enjoy it. He did not want to go and was grumpy all the way. But he loved the movie and chatted about it all the way home. Well made old style family movie like Disney used to make before they went off track (not counting the PIXAR stuff which are great). Well cast kid actors who were very believable and it was great to see Vince Martin on the big screen again. Another solid performance from Tandi Wright as the mother and I enjoyed Dai Henwood's quirky performance as the kid's teacher. Well directed with some nice views of Nelson. The story line was reasonably predictable but that did not detract from the overall enjoyment.

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• There are no dogs in this film, but it's still fun!

  nmusser-780512015-04-07

  There are no dogs in this film. Not that are characters, anyway. Nonetheless, it is a very sweet movie that would be absolutely perfect for a 9- and 6-year-old to watch for fun with their parents! It's overall message is a positive, uplifting one, and the New Zealand accents add some much-needed flavor for American audiences. As a family, we often look through Netflix for something to watch on a Saturday night, and at times the pickings are decidedly slim. This movie has some silly parts for the younger kids, an innocent grade-school romantic subplot and lots of soapbox derby cars. The New Zealand scenery is interesting for the parents. This is a good choice.

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• Enjoyable and funny family film

  vchimpanzee2015-04-06

  The movie begins with an explanation of the origins of soapbox (called trolley) derby in New Zealand. Well, sort of. A man going off to war has an unfortunate incident even before he leaves home. It looks like fun, and the kids want to play too. Years later, relatives of that first man are competing in trolley derby, which has become a major event in the town of Nelson. And one of those competitors is Ben's father, who is legendary for never winning. Ben wants to compete now, and his father is building his trolley. But he doesn't live to see his son race. Ben's mom, who takes over the father's business of washing boats, doesn't want her son to race. So Ben has to be sneaky. He enlists the help of his mechanically talented friend Jeff, who wants Ben to help him get a date with pretty Amanda. Ben messes this up, in a manner that recalls Miles Standish and John Alden, though he doesn't mean to. This could become a problem later. One of Ben's obstacles is the neighborhood bullies Shane and Shannon. Their father Wayne has a user car dealership and is a major sponsor of the race. His team has won four years in a row, and to Wayne, if you are not a winner, you are a loser. And there's nothing wrong with cheating, in his view, as long as you don't get caught--or you have the influence to make officials look the other way. This year, Shannon takes over from Shane as driver. Ben also needs money to build a proper trolley. Mr. Lumsden, a nerdy teacher who wants to date the boys' mom, provides expertise, but getting the money will require dealing with a loan shark. Stewie is one of the kids at school, and he has an official looking office in what appears to be the boys' room. He's quite mature and professional, but if you don't come through when he wants to be paid back, he has an enforcer named Slug. And if you want to see what happens when you don't pay on time, there is Elliot. Nothing really bad happens to Elliot, but it's just not pleasant being him. Ben and Jeff figure out how to make their trolley the best. But Shannon and Shane want to make sure their trolley beats Ben's, at any cost. Will Ben and Jeff succeed? If Shannon and Shane hurt their chances, can Ben and Jeff recover? What happens when Jeff finds out the truth about Amanda? This is a good family film. It's a little on the naughty side, with a word or two getting bleeped out and some violence of the school bully variety, and some great toilet humor. There is chicken manure and two great gags with porta-potties. And lots and lots of slapstick violence. There are moral dilemmas to deal with, but solutions are found to these that one might not expect. Good sportsmanship is an important lesson here. And hard work, research, and determination are highlighted. No, it's not a masterpiece, but it's an enjoyable experience.

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