Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Down and Derby

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Silly satire of competitive dads has some iffy humor.

Movie PG 2006 90 minutes
Down and Derby Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 10+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Joysense89
Joysense89 Parent of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10-year-old
June 5, 2022
age 10+

I don't consider this as a good positive message

- breaking & entering with no consequences. And one of them is a policeman. - scene where dog is biting at a man's crotch like he's chewing a ball and then the man grabs a ball and throws it for the dog. - man is hiding in closet and watches a woman undress (they don't show anything but it's clear she's getting naked) - they steal a derby car and take it apart and put it back together and are never caught - poor priorities: they (the 3 competitive men) neglect their kids and wives for their derby obsession. The dad skips out on work without ever calling in, which is made clear, and doesn't prepare for an important pitch, but then because they liked pine wood derby they came around and accepted his proposal, when he did absolutely nothing to prepare and pathetically winged the entire presentation. - the dad doesn't learn the lesson until the very last minutes of the movie and at that point the kid had made his own car. - the kids take advantage of their parents since they won't let them help with the derby and get money from them to leave their parents alone, but one kid gives the money back because he feels bad for the dad. - poor sportsmanship Over all I thought it was funny and as an adult it motivated me to want to do more with my kids. However I think my kids were bored, they didn't find the movie funny because most of the jokes were not something they related to to find them funny, and from a child's point of view ... terrible role models and messages. If you put this movie on your basically doing what the dads did... ignoring what your child actually wants to watch and filling your own needs/desires, because I don't think most kids would enjoy the movie. It was about adults and a little boring.
David A.
David A. Adult
June 22, 2017
age 12+

Different versions?

Hi, I really didn't like this movie, as I thought the "peeping tom" scene was completely out of place, and very uncomfortable. However, today my wife came home with this movie, borrowed from the library, and it is a version released by Feature Films for Families. It seems they have toned down the peeping tom scene, and maybe made a few other changes. I can't find any information online about the possible changes, and this film is not on the "Feature Films for Families" website. However, if you do watch this, definitely get the Feature films for families version, as it is probably better. Here is a link. https://www.amazon.com/Down-Derby-Greg-Germann/dp/B001T5JGQ4/ref=tmm_dv…
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Ever since he was a boy, Phil Davis (Greg Germann) has always finished second place to alpha male Ace Montana (Marc Raymond). Now as a family man living next door to both his childhood friends and Ace, Phil sees the announcement of the upcoming Pinewood Derby competition as the perfect opportunity to defeat Ace, once and for all. However, Phil's friends also want to finish first, and Ace literally wrote the book on creating the perfect Pinewood Derby car. Plus Phil's Cub Scout son would like have a role in creating the block of wood he was given. In spite of these obstacles -- and the increasing anger of his wife -- Phil stops at nothing to create the perfect Pinewood Derby vehicle. As he obsessively creates the perfect car, Phil must learn to place a higher priority on spending time and sharing victories with his son instead of settling old scores.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This over-the-top comedy shows through bad example the folly of taking what should be friendly competition and turning it into an unhealthy obsession. While exaggerated for comedy's sake, the behavior on display in this movie should be recognizable to any parent who has coached a sport and kids who have played on a team.

While the humor is mostly juvenile, and the story has a few overly convenient plot turns, at its core, Down and Derby raises a deeper point about what happens when parents miss out on opportunities to make wonderful memories with their kids. Viewed in that spirit, this movie should provide an opportunity for families to discuss times they've seen parents going overboard in competitive sports and school projects, and how winning is not the sole determinant in the enjoyment of an undertaking.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about competition. How does this film teach lessons in good sportsmanship? What is unhealthy competition?

  • Have you seen similar instances of parents taking the projects or sporting events of their kids way too seriously? How did it make you feel?

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

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

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