You've seen this movie time and time again. Troubled teen and troubled dad reunite over shared love of sport despite the looming memory of a dead mother. Irrational local bully, orbiting love interest, ridiculous juvenile delinquency, a compassionate local sheriff, and the BIG EVENT coming to town...it's ALL THERE, straight from an after-school special or an 8pm Disney Channel film. This time, the sport is karting, but you could replace it with BMX (Rad), inline skating (Brink!), or countless other fringe sports that have piqued a producer's interest, then waned in popularity but never quite disappeared. Kart Racer fits the mold and never breaks it.

Made in 2003, Kart Racer premiered on ABC Family in 2005, during a period of karting growth and popularity. Starring a capable Randy Quaid (troubled dad) and a one-dimensional Will Rothhaar (troubled kid), the film focuses on midwestern kart racing in a family covered in kart racing history yet separated from glory by the mom's death. Naturally, troubled kid bubbles with enthusiasm for the sport that troubled dad has left behind him and faces both family turmoil and the attention of the local rich-kid bully to overcome the trial of regional karting competition and regain his racing birthright. It ends just the way you expect.

All in all, it's a watchable film, but don't expect greatness; other films have done this formula better. Breaking Away did it best. Characters aren't developed and the only real story is the reconstruction of the father-son relationship over the shared passion of karting. The best part: the reunion of father and son over the in-garage kart track. The worst parts: the kart building montage (watch Will Rothhgaar pretend to weld), the assault and theft of team funds by the rich-kid bully (uh...file a report, kid), overlaying crazy engine sounds over the bully's Rotax 125 in the final race.

The movie is free-to-watch with an Amazon Prime subscription.