Formula One formula: ‘Gran Turismo’ goes from PlayStation to Le Mans

BRENT NORTHUP

Brent Northup

“Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story” (PG-13)

At the Cinemark

I went to “Gran Turismo” relatively blind, knowing nothing except that it was a race car movie.

As this fantasy unfolded about a kid who is obsessed with PlayStation Gran Turismo racing simulation games, I shook my head at the way the script stretched credibility: a boy with no driving experience wins the right to drive a Formula One racing car, and eventually places third at Le Mans.

Give me a break, Sony. Keep it real.

Turns out this was real, give or take a few creative liberties.

The timeline is fudged a bit, a key character never existed and locations are not always authentic, for example.

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But the core story of “gamer to racer” is, as advertised, “based on a true story.”

Clueless, I just grabbed popcorn and headed out to my fifth row, aisle seat to be surprised.

“Gran Turismo” is the kind of movie my teen daughter Kat would christen “not awful.” Translation: The film might not see any

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