Sometimes life imitates art a little more than anyone might plan. Case in point: The uncanny misfortunes, coincidences and triumphs that propel the little-engine-that-could storyline in “Madison” parallel what the filmmakers experienced when they were trying to get it into theaters.
“Madison” is an independent film based on the 1971 Gold Cup hydroplane race in Madison, Ind., where the underdog hometown boat Miss Madison went on to beat the top-rated Miss Budweiser, to the nation’s amazement. It’s a typical good-guy-wins-out-in-the-/files/storyimages/story, with a sports motif mixed with some small-town family values and a look at a dying river town trying to save face. Think “Hoosiers” on water.
“Madison” was filmed primarily in Madison in 1999. Written by brothers William and Scott Bindley, and directed by William, who also directed “The Eighteenth Angel” and “Judicial Consent,” the film starred a then-unknown Jim Caviezel (“The Passion of the Christ”), a very famous Jake Lloyd (“Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”) and a handful of respectable character actors in supporting roles, including Mary McCormack (“The West Wing”), Paul Dooley (“Waiting for Guffman”), Bruce Dern (“All the Pretty Horses”) and Chelcie Ross (“Major League”).
It was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, where it received much praise from the indie film community, according to director and co-writer William Bindley. From there it got picked up by a distribution company, which went out of business soon after, and then got picked up by another, which merged with a larger company, forcing “Madison” to the sidelines once again. The film was in distribution limbo for more than five years, until recently, when, thanks in part to the rising popularity of star Caviezel and a small favor from Mel Gibson, who agreed to run the “Madison” trailer before every showing of “The Passion.” That helped it get picked up by MGM, and it’s set for a limited nationwide release on Friday.
The film’s creators and stars showed up in Madison last Sunday at the world premiere and spoke freely to the press about their love for and dedication to the project.
Bindley grew up in Indianapolis and was familiar with the Madison regatta and the famous 1971 race that was broadcast on ABC. He knew the project would be difficult to finance and distribute, but he never lacked faith.
“I knew it was a good film and would find its way out,” he said. “Good stories work everywhere — it’s not just made for boat-racing fans or people from small towns. If we did our job right, it’s going to appeal to everyone.”
Caviezel agreed that “Madison” is more than just a movie about boats. “‘Hoosiers’ was hardly a basketball movie; same goes for this movie,” he said. “The vehicle may be the hydroplane, but the story is about us, yourself, American dreams, the losses and struggles that build character.” Caviezel said he turned down a part on the “X-Men” film to play boat-racer Jim McCormick in “Madison.”
“I wanted to do this film because it was great,” he said. “When I look for material, I look for a story with redeeming value. This movie does something to your heart.”
Chelcie Ross, who plays the seedy Budweiser team captain in the film, said he was struck by everyone’s dedication to getting this film released. “It was the most amazing example of tenacity and hard-rock belief in a project,” he said. “Jim spent a lot of effort to get it to this point.” Ross is no stranger to sports films, more specifically Indiana sports films — he was in both “Hoosiers” and “Rudy” — but he agrees that this story is deeper than winning and losing. “It’s a story about a family feud, a family facing a lot of difficulties,” he said. “The family works through these problems and stays together. And I think those are important values to pass on.”
As to whether “Madison” will sink or swim this summer amongst all the big-budget standard fare, Bindley said he just hopes the climate is right when it’s released. “If we can just hang around a bit, we’ll be happy,” he said. “Jim (Caviezel) seems to think everything happens for a reason. He’s certain the timing is right.”
