Have You Seen the 2017 Film, McLaren?

There have been a lot of movies about car racing. One recent gem, entitled McLaren, came out in 2017. While most movies about auto racing are fictional and ramp up the drama, McLaren is notable because it’s a documentary about Bruce McLaren, the man who founded the vaunted F1 racing team that bears his name in 1963. This McLaren movie hits the mark if you’re a fan of racing.

Dive into this fascinating documentary about one of the most decorated auto racing legends of all time.

What Is the Movie McLaren About?

Although listed as a documentary, some elements of the McLaren movie are dramatized to fill in gaps in Bruce McLaren’s life. Much of the Bruce McLaren movie was shot in New Zealand, where McLaren grew up. Dwayne Cameron, an actor from New Zealand, portrayed McLaren in the dramatic scenes that filled in where history didn’t have all the facts. 

The movie takes viewers through McLaren’s childhood to creating a racing empire, coming from humble beginnings to watching his father rebuild and repair cars at his auto shop, to testing the limits of what racing cars can do. The movie ends with a retrospective of McLaren’s life following his tragic death at the age of 32 in 1970. 

His legend was gone too soon. McLaren died doing what he loved: Testing a new racing machine. McLaren’s new, experimental design lost control on a turn, spinning into an embankment, and killed him. The previous year, McLaren’s team dominated the Canadian-American Challenge Cup series, as his team won all 11 races in the 1969 season, according to History.com. He was one of the wealthiest racing team owners in the world at the time of his death.

Critical Reception of the Bruce McLaren Movie

Ellie Walker-Arnott of Time Out London gave the McLaren film 4 out of 5 stars, saying, “A handful of dramatisations – intended to flesh out gaps in the narrative – jar while at times the film digs deep into detail in a way that threatens to alienate all but the most dedicated racing fans. But ultimately the human story of this scrappy and magnetic man keeps the doc on track.”

Car enthusiasts and racing fans will love the screen time with other racing legends who appear in McLaren. Among them are:

• Mario Andretti
• Emerson Fittipaldi
• Jack Brabham
• Jackie Stewart
• Wally Willmott, business partner of McLaren
• Lothar Motschenbacher
• Collin Beanland, another business partner of McLaren

On IMDb, 2,500 users give it 7.3 out of 10 stars, which is pretty good for a documentary. On Rotten Tomatoes, the McLaren film has a 79% score from 14 reviewers and an 84% audience rating from more than 100 ratings. 

Where Can McLaren Be Streamed?

Rent or purchase McLaren on Amazon Prime Video. If you’re a racing fan, you’ll love the Bruce McLaren movie! 

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