There is the seed of a great comedy in Henry Cornelius' Genevieve. Unfortunately, it never takes root. The film is advertised as being about two teams who get into a vintage car race in England. However, the actual race doesn't start until the last thirty minutes of the film. The run-time before that is dedicated to more gradual comedy and gentle character development. That's all well and good. But I feel like it's false advertising. It also doesn't help that the actual race never builds up enough tension for any of the comedic payoffs to have any gravitas to them. A good racing film, like a good comedy, needs a sense of immediacy. And Genevieve is too laid back and leisurely for it to be effective as the former. As the latter? Certainly. It has that warm, dry, and delicate lilt that defines so many English comedies. But this should have been first and foremost a racing film.
6/10
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