Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Family movie night? There's an app for that

Download our new mobile app on iOS and Android.

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Adrenaline

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Paraplegic race driver implausibly finds religion.

Movie NR 2015 94 minutes
Adrenaline Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Adrenaline Movie: Scene #1
  • Adrenaline Movie: Scene #2
  • Adrenaline Movie: Scene #3

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

In ADRENALINE a talented street racer (Michael Rosander) makes it into major institutional drag racing after a racing accident injures his legs badly. Unable to walk, alone and depressed, he sinks into self-pity. A combination of influences -- his older roommate, a sunny evangelical paraplegic named Elijah (Gregory Alan Williams), and his father's supportive racing partner -- Paul (John Schneider), who's also named with reference to the Bible -- help him take on new racing challenges. Eventually Joseph also learns that there's more to life than racing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

There's no mention of religion until a good 20 minutes in, yet from the earliest moments the bland simple-mindedness of characters and plot hint at a trite tale of finding faith for no good reason. The first clue is that the hero, a drag-racing adrenaline freak, isn't called Joe or Joey by his gearhead childhood pal but rather a more formal and Biblical "Joseph." The writers create no emotional arc for Joseph that can possibly explain why or how such a bitter nonbeliever -- who lost his father in a racing accident and then lost the use of his legs in his own accident -- makes the leap to faith. Undeveloped villains straight out of central casting team up with equally derivative mentors and advisors in this script pasted together from many better movies that have come before. The script brims with clichés, including "It's not what you drive, it's what drives you" and "You gotta get right or you're gonna get left."

Still, families looking for a faith-based racing movie for their kids might enjoy the story. For everyone else, there are much better films out there.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's religious themes. Do you think people can quickly go from not believing in God to believing? Why, or why not?

  • Why do you think people love to race cars? Why are car-racing movies so popular?

  • Does this movie seem realistic to you? Why, or why not? How does it compare with other racing movies?

  • Do you think nonbelievers can enjoy this movie as much as believers? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate