Winning (1969) User Reviews

Soap Opera At the 500

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 21 April 2006]

Most film fans know of Paul Newman's passion for auto racing, something he shared with his fellow rebel hero Steve McQueen. So like McQueen, sooner or later he was going to do a racing film. It's never going to be listed among his best films, but at least it was not as self indulgent as McQueen's Le Mans.

It's also not Grand Prix which had cinerama and dealt with the international racing scene and the glamour therein. This is an American film dedicated to what our president called the Nascar dads in the last presidential campaign. But it also deals with who I would have to call the neglected Nascar Moms.

Paul Newman is an auto racing driver and totally dedicated to his sport. He meets and marries Joanne Woodward who is a divorcée with a teenage son, Richard Thomas. After a while he starts taking her for granted and Woodward drifts off into an affair with rival driver Robert Wagner.

I very much doubt in real life if Paul Newman ever took Joanne Woodward for granted as he does her. I don't think they would have stayed married as long as they did. But Newman gives a solid portrayal of a man who gets quite a lesson in what is really important in life.

Richard Thomas shows some of the qualities that made him such a hit as John Boy in The Waltons. He gives a very good account of himself in scenes with Paul and Joanne.

Nascar Dads and Moms will like Winning, there's enough in the plot to satisfy all concerned.

Just for Paul Newman's fans

[butchfilms · 6/10 · 21 January 2009]

I am a big fan of Paul Newman but this must be one of his lowest films, even though he is OK at it. I think this movie deserves 5.5 stars.

One of the biggest problems is that it last 120 minutes, it should have lasted 20 minutes less. I think the plot was good but not the way it was developed.

What I liked the most was the final scene between Paul and Joanne, this scene deserved to be in a much better movie. The race scenes are good.

Frank Capua is a car racer who gets married with Elora who has a 16 years old son who gets along with him, but there will be serious problems in the couple when he puts his career before her...........

I recommend watching it if it's on TV and you like old race cars movies or if you are a Paul Newman's die hard fan

drive a long road

[lee_eisenberg · 6/10 · 22 May 2011]

First, I should say that I've never been into car racing. The only other racecar-themed movie that I've seen is "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (which was certainly funny). That said, I didn't find James Goldstone's "Winning" to be a bad movie. Although the movie meanders a little too much, it was mostly a solid focus on the toll that racecar driver Frank Capua's (Paul Newman) obsession with winning takes on his marriage. The verbal exchanges between Frank and his despondent wife Elora (Joanne Woodward) run kind of long at times. The scenes of the races themselves make the sport look like a death wish. But overall it's a good movie, and it has a better ending than you'd expect.

Also starring Robert Wagner, Richard Thomas, and a whole bunch of racers as themselves.

Good drama about racing and people's lives involved.

[Rakkasanfido · 20 January 2002]

Of all the racing movies I've seen, this is probably my favorite, as the acting in it matches up with the race scenes provided; it's pretty good, in my opinion.

Paul Newman (as Frank Capua) does an excellent job of portraying the ice-cool race driver who is dedicated to his profession to achieve the ultimate goal, of winning races as often as he can. Joanne Woodward is good in her role as the supportive wife who needs as much attention as Capua's cars do. In the mix is a teen-aged Richard Thomas as Joanne's son from a previous engagement, and his character blends in well as the new 'adopted' son of Frank. Of course Robert Wagner plays well his character of being the cocky teammate/rival of Frank. Not to mention there is also some good stereotype acting of supporting cast members of other people involved in Frank's world of racing, the car owner, mechanics, etc. There's even a cameo of Bobby Unser in the movie, who actually won the Indy 500 of the year in which the movie is placed at, 1968.

I guess I'm partial to "Winning" because it is realistic of what racing was like during the 1960's. Drivers then, weren't committed to strict contracts of not being allowed to participate in a variety of motorsports. Instead, a driver might have competed in a GP somewhere, then be off to a sports car race in Germany, or perhaps a stock car race or USAC Indy car race of some sort in the states. Such practices then weren't uncommon then. I thought that this movie captures this versatility well, by displaying the variety of races that Paul's character is involved in; Can-Am type races, stock car and Indy car races. Also this movie illustrated to some degree, how weekend after weekend would be occupied of setting cars up at certain tracks and, of course, racing them on Sundays, during the tight schedules of the normal racing season. The footage and sounds are great if you have a heart for racing.

Dave Grusin's soundtrack is nice too. Just good ol' easy-listening type music.

If you like auto-racing, then I'd suggest seeing "Le Mans" (1971) with Steve McQueen or "Grand Prix" (1966) with James Garner, as both have some good footage of actual racing as well. But if you want to see a racing movie with realistic scenes and scenarios of people involved the sport, with great acting, I can't think of any other movie to suggest than "Winning." It really is the only racing movie that I know of that blends in acting and action footage rather well.

Unique as far as what elements of the film will interest the particular viewer.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 9 April 2023]

Certainly the racing scenes will interest fans of that fast driving sport, while female audiences will be interested in the romantic story and subsequent marital issues of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, with Robert Wagner thrown in for good measure. But I found the scenes with Newman and stepson Richard Thomas much more interesting, a nice touch that added to the sweetness of the film, and indeed, the racing sequences were pretty exciting too. As one of many films where the Newmans worked together, they certainly had more on-screen chemistry than Burton and Taylor did in most of their films together, even though the Newmans didn't have the curiosity factor that Liz and Dick did. It's a reunion for Woodward and Wagmer from "A Kiss Before Dying" as well, so there is a bit of nostalgia there as well.

Even though his time on screen is limited, it's the young Thomas (the newcomer) who walks off with acting honors, particularly his post drunk scene dealing with his first hangover. It's definitely impressive to see how he comes across with his veteran costars. Not as lush or soapy as it could have been, mainly because the locations aren't all that lavish, but the photography is colorful and it certainly isn't dull. Bit it's rather standard drama outside of the racing sequences and unique for the warmth between Newman and Thomas, a rare happy stepfather/stepson relationship on film.

Living life in the fast lane.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 1 May 2020]

Real-life racing enthusiast Paul Newman headlines this decent look at those men who make their living on the track, and their lives off the track. Frank Capua (Newman) has a fierce dedication to the sport, and this does cost him when it comes to his marriage to Elora (Joanne Woodward), a car rental agent who caught his eye one night. He also becomes a father figure to her impressionable teenage son Charley (Richard Thomas, receiving an official "introducing" credit). His rival is the amiable Luther Erding (Robert Wagner).

Overall, "Winning" is not bad, but it spends a little too much time off the track, detailing the whole Frank / Elora romance as well as Franks' entire personal life. The story (written by Howard Rodman) could have used some tightening. But the cast is fine, creating multi-dimensional, reasonably engaging characters. The role of Frank isn't really Newmans' finest hour, but it's still a good one. Thomas is appealing as the kid, and David Sheiner and Clu Gulager offer able support. Real-life icons of the sport have cameo appearances as themselves.

Most of the final forty minutes of the film are devoted to action on the track, and they're well edited and pretty exciting. Footage from the real Indy 500 race of 1968 is included, such as that famous 17 car pileup. This material does prove to be worth the wait. Interestingly, while many movies may end shortly after the victor is declared, here we get another 15 minutes or so as characters deal with the aftermath, and the victor has time to reflect on the state of his life.

This is worth watching for any fan of Newman, who shows off that classic charisma that always served him so well.

Seven out of 10.

You've gotta be in it to win it.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 6 December 2013]

Talking to a family friend about what movies he was planning to pick up after (hopefully) receiving some vouchers for the Christmas season,I was delightfully caught by surprise,when he mentioned the title of a Paul Newman film that my dad had recently picked up.With the UK being hit by the worst storms for 60 years,I felt that it was the perfect time to stay in,and head out on the racetrack.

The plot:

Walking past a "rent a car" store after winning his latest race,a race car driver Frank Capua finds himself quickly enchanted by the charms of the shops secretary,called Elora.Getting into a whirlwind romance with Elora,Capua soon takes Elora and her son Charlie on the road,and introduces them to the life of a race car driver.Despite Charlie catching the racing bug from Frank very quickly,Elora finds herself completely isolated in Capua's world,which leads to Frank fearing that he may be about to lose the most important race in his life.

View on the film:

Using a mix of archive and new footage,the editing of the racing scenes by Richard C Meyer (who also co-edited Butch and Sundance) and Edward A. Biery, (who would reunite with director James Goldstone and Newman for When Time Runs Out) sadly give the scenes an annoyingly "shaky" appearance,which along with not allowing the viewer to get a sense of what is taking place,also leads to the pertinaciously thrilling,set-piece scenes lacking any sense of excitement.

Set against the racetracks,the screenplay by Howard Rodman gives each of the Capua family members a melodrama race track,which along with featuring some rather unexpected surprises, (such as Newman's reaction to rival driver Luther "Lou" Erding)also perfectly compliments the twilight atmosphere that director James Goldstone covers the movie in.

Made just he was catching the racing bug himself,Paul Newman gives a very good performance as Frank Capua,with Newman showing the contrasting sides of Franks life,by having Capua's wide smile that he shows on the race track,fade away,as Frank begins to fear that his marriage is running out of fuel.Joining her real-life husband,Joanne Woodward gives the film a real heart & soul as Elora,with Woodward showing her love for Frank slowly fade away,as she begins to fear that they may be about to go off the race tracks.

Unless you like cars a lot, don't waste your time

[agig · 5/10 · 27 June 2010]

This movie does not age well. Though Paul Newman's acting is very good, the same cannot be said of some supporting actors. Richard Thomas is unbearably bad as a kid who wants to emulate his dad—at one point he gets in the cockpit and just looks, well, retarded. Clu Gulager is a bad imitation of Smokey Yunick. The writers and director seem to have a vague idea what racing is about, but mostly they get it all wrong. This movie was made after John Frankenheimer's 1966 brilliant film Grand Prix. It utilizes many of the same camera and editing techniques and even the music is at times reminiscent of Maurice Jarre's utilizing a soft guitar for romantic moments, coupled with empty track shots, etc. etc. Winning saving grace is it's period racing shots and we can get a glimpse of how it was like at Indy in 1968. But the editing is really poor, some action shots are sped up (which just kills any serious car movie). In the sixties it was cool for a leading man to do a racing movie, then get into the real thing after the shooting wrapped. McQueen did it, James Gardner did it and Paul Newman did best by actually becoming a racing man's racer. All in all it's a pale imitation of Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, and I can't help thinking how the latter film might have been even better with Paul Newman starring.

personal non-drama

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 3 May 2020]

Self confident professional race car driver Frank Capua (Paul Newman) falls for Elora (Joanne Woodward) working at a car rental place. He befriends her teenage son Charley (Richard Thomas) taking him under his racing wings. Luther Lou Erding (Robert Wagner) is his main friend-rival.

It's about racing. It has lots of racers. It's a love story with his wife. It's obviously a personal passion project for Newman. It doesn't mean that it's any good. The drama has pretty limited tension. The romance has no drama to begin with and when it turns, it retroactively destroys its bland sweetness. In between the personal non-drama, the racing has some good real action and stunts. The filmmaking is still not modern enough to make the racing exciting. It comes off mostly flat but has the interest equivalent to racing deleted scenes.

"Winning" is really Newman's picture all the way

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 3 July 2005]

Newman is a successful driver who marries a small-town divorcée (Joanne Woodward), soon after they've met… As usual, he devotes too much time to his career and ignores everything else, and, as in "From the Terrace," Woodward turns in desperation to another man—here a rival driver (Robert Wagner). Newman finds them in bed, and becomes estranged from her (again, as in "From the Terrace"), but after winning the big race, he realizes his life is empty, and attempts a reconciliation (the theme of the "winner" who's really a loser).

The relationship is superficially written, but Newman and Woodward make us care about it… Their first film together since "A New Kind of Love," it's their best since "The Long Hot Summer." They exude a naturalness, intimacy and spontaneous affection that one suspects come from their own feelings for each other… It is apparent in their first scene, where he is slight1y drunk, delightfully playful, and confident (but no longer unpleasant) in his attempt to pick her up; and she responds with smiles and applause at his tricks with a fireman's hat, but looks slight1y uncertain about this glamorous stranger…

Following their wedding, they sit on a swing, drinking beer from cans, talking and laughing quietly… She describes her previous loneliness, and he responds, typically, "Beer's a lot less complicated." They smile, she rubs his back and leans her head on his shoulder: these are people who really know each other, and who have attained a maturity about themselves…

Newman exhibits this maturity throughout… His loose, casual style, evident in "Cool Hand Luke," has given way to an almost complete mellowness… Perhaps because of the confidence gained from his directing experience, he has gotten rid of his mannerisms; and except for the intense determination he shows while racing, he's more relaxed than ever before… Although the script tells little about his past, there's a wealth of experience etched into his face, especially in his brilliant, silent reaction to finding the couple in bed—one of quiet resignation that suggests a lifetime of pain and frustration…

Newman has many fine scenes of quiet underplaying: his camaraderie with Wagner early in the film; his solitude after the race; his genuine warmth in the relationship with his stepson (Richard Thomas). The scenes in which they drink champagne and come home drunk together project for the first time in Newman's career a really paternal feeling—only vaguely suggested in strikingly similar scenes in "Hud."

Utterly Univolving Racing Flick

[Bob-45 · 5/10 · 26 July 2005]

I first saw "Winning" in 1969 and was utterly unimpressed with it. When TCM recently showed it, I decided to watch it again to see if my opinion of it had changed after 36 years. Nope. Underwritten, episodic plot line, dull characters , documentary-style, almost indifferent racing footage and, worst, the usual restrained, passionless chemistry between Newman and Woodward. Whatever has kept these two together for almost 50 years remains a mystery. Both Woodward and Newman have shown a playful sexiness with other screen partners (most notably, Woodward in "3 Faces of Eve"). However, I wish they'd given Newman another love interest. About the only high point of "Winning" is Richard Thomas as Woodward's son. Thomas works very well with Newman. Maybe they should have made HIM Newman's love interest. Oh well. I give "Winning" a "5".

"Winning" may not be everything, but Paul Newman is!

[Poseidon-3 · 7 November 2006]

Fans of Newman can hardly skip this lesser entry in his sizable filmography as he's shown off to his best advantage throughout. He plays a race car driver (of varying kinds) who one night, after a big win, meets up with a lonely single mother (Woodward) and sweeps her off her feet. They set off on a whirlwind courtship, ending in marriage, and Newman agrees to adopt her teen son (Thomas) whose life has lacked a father figure. Things run swimmingly until Newman has to go off on to the racing circuit, leaving Woodward alone to stew and return to her previous, lonesome life. A reunion at the Indy 500 does not go as well as either of them had hoped and soon their marriage in jeopardy. Newman has trouble separating his worries about his wife from his duties on the track. Meanwhile, Thomas is torn between his mother and his new father, who he looks up to and adores. Also, fellow racer Wagner is always right there, ready to take any and all trophies away from Newman if he can. On the surface, this seems like a film about racing, but it's really a domestic drama examining Newman and Woodward's relationship and the hazards of not communicating properly with one another. It's also a fable illustrating that "winning isn't everything", a point that is driven home not so subtly. When they talk about Newman's baby blue eyes, this is a film that really shows them off. His sun-kissed face provides the perfect setting for his piercing, gorgeous eyes. He does a lot of brooding in the film, but there are fun moments as well. He gets to show many sides to his persona and looks terrific in the clean, trim sportswear of the era (and shows off his fit figure in a brief swimming scene.) Woodward gives a solid, thoughtful performance as well, though her various Edith Head get-ups have not aged as nicely as Newman's wardrobe. At one point, to help get Newman's attention focused back on her, she dons a really frumpy wig which, thankfully, doesn't stay around too long. Thomas, in his film debut, makes a strong impression. The director would later use him in "Red Sky at Morning". He, along with the other leads, has a tendency to open his mouth as if to say something, but then doesn't, which can be a little tiresome, but it does aid the point that these people have trouble saying what they really want to say. Wagner is a prop more than anything... a plot device, but he does manage to get one fairly decent scene in towards the end. The film has a fast-cutting, rapid editing style that does help move it along, though truly it is a tad long for the story it has to tell. Though the authentic footage from the Indianapolis 500 is fascinating in its nostalgia and gives the film unquestionable "you are there" realism, a bit of it, along with some other sections, might have been trimmed to allow for a better-greased movie. The fast-clip pacing and thoughtful relationship drama would be completely absent from Newman and director Goldstone's later work, the abysmal "When Time Ran Out". Composer Grusin provides a bouncy, sometimes goofy, but always interesting, score. This film kicked off a love of racing in Newman which lasted the rest of his life, causing one of the few points of contention in his lengthy, real-life marriage to Woodward as she could rarely bear to watch him on the dangerous track.

Unnecessary film, just for the sake of it.

[bombersflyup · 3/10 · 10 September 2018]

Winning is a dull and numbing experience, despite the leads of Newman and Woodward.

Capua wins everything, so the one thing he can lose gets taken from him, but he doesn't want to let her go. Newman and Woodward are solid in the film, but the kid's annoyingly needy and forthright. Why was this film made? It all seems rather pointless. The racing scenes drag and aren't entertaining and there's no great story being told here. Also, there's odd theme music played at irrelevant times.

Cars, Crashes & Corny "Love-Triangle" Slop For Losers

[strong-122-478885 · 2/10 · 27 November 2013]

If you were to actually delete all of the scenes in "Winning" that had anything to do with cars actually racing (which, themselves, weren't all that thrilling to watch, either), about all that would be left as a movie would be an almost unbearable continuation of some of the most dreadfully boring, melodramatic, soap opera slop that's ever been recorded on film.

If nothing else, "Winning" was the sort of seen-it-all-before movie-experience that really made for a very effective sleeping pill.

I can't begin to tell you how absolutely dull-dull-dull "Winning" was, especially if you take into account that its cast was headlined by the likes of Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Robert Wagner.

Like, weren't these apparent Hollywood "heavy-weights" supposed to be the absolute cream-of-the-crop, reigning supreme at the height of their popularity and careers? So, uh, what the frick went wrong here?

Not only was there absolutely no chemistry happening between Newman & Woodward on screen (yet, at the time, these 2 were actually married to each other), but, their totally passionless love scenes had me actually believing that these 2 (in real life) must've loathed each other right to the very bone.

Whatever the hell kept Newman & Woodward together (in their real marriage) for nearly 50 years certainly remains a complete mystery to me.

When it came to the supposedly "exciting" racing scenes, Winning's obviously clueless editor might have done some real wonders had he taken the time and gone back to editing school.

And, besides that, it certainly appeared to me that both the screenwriters and the director may have had a somewhat vague idea of what racing car movies were all about, but, in the long run, they unfortunately got it all wrong with this here picture.

Had Winning's 2-hour running time been reduced by a good half-hour, then, yes, perhaps, that might have made this picture more easy to tolerate, but, as it stood, it was nothing but a tedious, drawn-out bore.

With Winning ending its story on what I think was one of the most terrible and contrived notes in movie history, it seems that the only one who I'm sure came out ahead as a result of this farty fiasco film was the Goodyear Tire Co. whose blatant product advertising was ground into this viewer's face, over and over and over again, ad nauseum.

V-room! V-room! Like, get me outta here, pronto!

For race fans, this is a Winner!

[justimagine · 8/10 · 6 June 2003]

Taken as a whole, this does not measure up to Newman's later works, but that's not his fault. The story is a weak and draggy at times. Certainly it's not "The Verdict", but then it's not meant to be. It is what it is, a pretty basic story about a race car driver and his relationships; between he and his distant wife, his teammate (and again, his wife) and his stepson. The uneven pacing almost sinks the film as a whole, though the supporting cast is pretty ace. But forget all that for a moment.

For race fans the vintage footage alone is worth the price of admission...Can-Am cars at Elkhart Lake open the show and Indy closes it. Great stuff! What makes it all really work is that PLN did his own driving and it's clear he is enjoying himself and is right at home in the car, not shoehorned in like a Burt Reynolds or Tom Cruise or Sly Stallone. He is a RACER, and it shows. Plus the ending is classic Newman; you just don't know what's going to happen next, and you WANT to know.

Also recommended: "Grand Prix" and "Le Mans".

Winning

[muffy_diver · 1/10 · 23 March 2006]

This movie was made about 10 years after Newman became famous. As far as I can see it was just to waste time dreaming about car racing, I have no problem with that, but the story line was limp. Guess he just needed some tax write-offs.The race scenes are probably good, but having "what-his-name" as the bad guy, did not work. The love scenes were a waste of time. I guess as a period piece and a nod to Newman it has a niche in history, but its really not a very good flic.The nascar crowd undoubtedly adore it but again , its limp. Newman looks way older than his present age, which is almost 40 years ago.Try as I might, I cannot say much good. Joanne Woodward, looks great as usual,but looks alone do not make a movie worth watching.

Driven apart

[tieman64 · 6 March 2014]

A number of films in the 1960s and early 70s challenged conventional notions of "victory", "success" and "winning" ("Smile", "Downhill Racer", "The Candidate", "Bad News Bears", "Slap Shot"). One of the more obscure ones was 1969's "Winning", directed by James Goldstone.

The plot? Paul Newman plays Frank Capua, a professional race car driver whose obsession with being top dog isolates him from his wife (Joanne Woodward). As a response, she embarks on an affair which wrecks the couple's marriage. Sounds clichéd? Maybe. And yet virtually every sequence in Goldstone's film is approached from a fresh angle. Newman and Woodward, married in real life, are particularly good, the duo telling a story of shattered marriage with hushed whispers and naturalistic dialogue.

7.9/10 - Worth one viewing.

Watch it if you like racecars

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 10 July 2017]

Paul Newman struck gold with this one: he teams up again on screen with his wife Joanne Woodward, and he gets to make a movie about a real-life passion, racecars!

Winning is basically like any other sports movie. A talented man becomes too consumed by the competition, and his relationship with his wife/girlfriend/children strains as a result. In this movie, it's racecar driving, so if you like cars, don't miss this one. If you're bored to tears by loud cars driving around in a continuous circle, try another Paul Newman sports movie, like Slap Shot.

Off-screen spouses argue and try to make the audience fear for a will-they-or-won't-they conflict, but it's not really convincing. There's so much love between them it seems highly unlikely they won't reconcile by the end of the movie. And as for a love triangle, why would anyone consider leaving Paul Newman?

paul newman knocks it out of the park

[perfectionloop · 8/10 · 12 December 2020]

I dont care much about racing or daytona and i still enjoyed this movie because the acting feel so authentic and the way frank main character handles the events is so good what a legend most underrated movies i have seen in a long time definately worth your time

one of Newman's very best

[nzpedals · 9/10 · 23 May 2016]

From very near the start, Newman and Woodward look so comfortable in each others presence. Well, they had been married for eleven years by then! There are other films where the "married" couple just look as though they are acting, and are not real. Here, it is so different and makes watching the rest of it worthwhile, and pleasant.

OK, so we know that neither Newman nor Kapua won the 1968 Indy 500, so-what? It is easy to join in the excitement and appreciate the drama. The joining of real footage, especially of the first-lap pile-up is neatly and realistically done.

Coping with infidelity is always going to be hard, by both partners, here they do it OK.

Richard Thomas as the adopted son is good enough and led me to then watch his simply brilliant "All Quiet on the Western Front".

overrated, but okay for car racing historians

[vandino1 · 24 March 2006]

This is an odd duck of a film. It has that sixties-film desire to heap oh-so-serious, stagy, acting scenes onto a film ostensibly about racing, action, and excitement. So, for buffs of sixties car racing, there's plenty of stuff to see (and even wax nostalgic about), yet to get to it you have to plow through several draggy domestic drama scenes all about "revealing character" and "emotional symbolism" and all that other creative writing 101 blather that is really meant for an entirely different audience. Would you like to have a 'Jurassic Park' with Dr. Grant and Ellie spending half the film discussing child-care issues and emotional abandonment? You're there for the dinosaur story. And you're watching 'Winning' for the racing material. Granted that there is nothing wrong with presenting the "lonely life on the road" of a car racer, but we understand the issues of Newman and Woodward (and Thomas AND Wagner) very quickly, therefore the almost ceaseless hammering-on about it all becomes depressing. Too bad, because this had the makings of the best film on the subject. There are not exactly a lot of race car films to begin with, outside of a few from the thirties, then later 'The Racers' with Kirk Douglas; 'The Big Wheel' with Mickey Rooney; 'Grand Prix'; and after 'Winning', McQueen's 'Le Mans' in 1971. And of course, 'Days of Thunder' (blah).

Interesting that Newman likes spoken interaction between actors in his films, as in "Harper" where he plays a private eye, whereas McQueen as a cop says little throughout 'Bullitt'; and while 'Winning' is an actor's gabfest, McQueen and his cast are virtual blanks in 'Le Mans.' If you could cinematically combine footage from 'Winning' and 'Le Mans' (maybe even with 'Grand Prix') you could have the best racing film ever. Meanwhile, 'Winning' is debatably the best at this point. And you can't knock the fact that Newman in real life has done plenty of racing and IS married to Woodward. Certainly that adds to the realism. Incidentally, the title credits read: "Introducing Richard Thomas." This was ol' John-Boy's first film role. He's good, too. Oh, and quite the reverse, the music by Dave Grusin is deplorable: it's like some canned soundtrack from a TV action show. Thankfully there's no embarrassing title tune warbled by B.J. Thomas or some other late-sixties cliché singer or rock group.

1969 to 2014: Still makes me smile

[paradisebuglady · 10/10 · 25 May 2014]

I saw this "movie" in Charlotte, NC in 1969 as a 1st run, special release. Just saw it again on an obscure cable network (AntenaTV) that specializes in older (1950's to 1970's) TV and film. This weekend was a "Newman's Own Weekend" and one of the films shown was "Winning". In 1969 it was a 1st Date Movie & Dinner with the man I would eventually marry. He hated it (except for the soundtrack)and I loved it. Just enough soap mixed with the right amount of macho to please most. Admittedly, this was obviously Paul Newman's reason to get behind the wheel; the story/screenplay was about mid-line, but the duo of Newman & Woodward was enough to please most and Robert Wagner being ROBERT WAGNER didn't hurt. Also John Boy got face time with the A-Team. Dave Grusin's soundtrack takes me back 45 years; armed with a box of buttered popcorn, large fountain cherry Coke, trying to be a nice cool girl and hoping for the 2nd date. Thank you Paul and Joanne and Robert and Dave Grusin. You all shares so many gifts with us.

Paul and Joanne are great together, the movie less than great.

[Jonathan-18 · 4 September 1999]

The feeling I had during the movie is: this could have been better if it was totally different: More relations between characters and less cars. And even when there is a race, we get weird 60's shots of people not even watching the race. How about more about the rivalry between Newman and Wagner. What does Joanne do- is she a housewife, raising by herself a child since he was three? Richard Thomas (Charlie) and Newman should have had more scenes before Charlie is sad of the breakup; I would have been sad losing a father like Newman, but we should see why Charlie is sad. Newman puts as much character to Frank as the script allows. Too long, not too predictable (not that there are any big surprises, other than the credits coming a bit early in the last scene). Paul and Joanne are great together, see Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990).

Great music!

[mrocnroll · 8/10 · 27 July 2019]

Liked the movie but the affair with Robert Wagner blew it for me. Could have done without. Love the scene when Newman drives his regular car onto the deserted track and starts driving the course with David Grusin's music and great camera work. Have always thought it neat and wished I could do it. But the soundtrack (which I've heard some tracks used in TV sporting events) is amazing. I don't think it has ever been available on CD, but the LP is worth it.