Inspired by the real-life trials and tribulations of a small Indiana town in its bid to host a 1971 Unlimited Hydroplane national competition, the drama gets stuck in a dispiritingly dull rut and fails to build toward what is supposed to be a something of a crowd-rousing triumph over adversity. The water-logged results don't bode well for this MGM release, which opens in select cities Friday. Jim Caviezel stars as Jim McCormick, the man who would ultimately pilot the community-owned Miss Madison to victory, but not before overcoming several personal and logistical obstacles.

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