Desertman84 James Dean: Race With Destiny is a biographical film about the movie legend that stars Casper Van Dien in the title role.It follows the time when he was Hollywood for only a short period of time while working in New York after the release of East Of Eden.There were no other aspect of his life tackled and it provides a major emphasis on his love affair with Pier Angeli.This is a disaster.Probably that it even an understatement.It provides nothing about James Dean nor does it give him any tribute at all.Added to that,it was poorly acted as Van Dien is the worst James Dean portrayal ever that is not even up to par with that of James Franco and Stephen McHattie.Finally,it was just one awful movie not only compared to Dean biopics but to any other released.This simply insults the movie legend and basically just capitalizes on Dean's legacy for a quick profit.

bkoganbing Try as he may Casper Van Dien could not overcome the bad casting as James Dean in James Dean: Race With Destiny. I'm not sure anyone could have played the part and not be criticized as Dean has become such an iconic figure for America's young.He does his best, but the guy who played such an All American hero as John Rico in Starship Troopers and made a terrifically hunky screen Tarzan is just too white bread for the part of James Dean. Van Dien just does not suggest a rebel persona that would be so essential to playing Dean. Maybe the late River Phoenix or Leonardo DiCaprio might have done justice to the role, but they themselves have some rather fixed images.The story line is about roughly the last year of Dean's 24 year time on earth. We meet him first making East of Eden and driving folks like Jack Warner and director Elia Kazan crazy with his driving. When not successful in wooing Pier Angeli, Dean courts other women like an up and coming Ursula Andress and spends his time racing his motorcycle or his automobile. If we're to believe this, all might have gone well for Dean and Angeli had they been able to settle down and marry. Sad to say though Dean could not overcome the handicap of not being Italian. Pier Angeli and her sister Marisa Pavan were dominated by their mother in the same way as Jean Harlow was, as Natalie Wood was. Diane Ladd plays the domineering mother and she's got a husband picked out for Pier in the person of singer Vic Damone. Jimmy's willing to become the best Catholic ever, but can't change his ancestry.Of course one big flaw in this film is that it completely ignores James Dean's other sexual side. It's been reported in any number of places that Dean had a gay side to him. That might have been more of a problem than not being Italian.Casper Van Dien's wife at the time, Carrie Mitchum plays Pier Angeli. She is the granddaughter of that other screen icon Robert Mitchum and the Van Diens got Mitchum to play a couple of scenes as director George Stevens of Giant. In a few months Mitchum would be no longer with us and it's horrifying to see the ravages of lung cancer in him.Though I think Casper Van Dien was miscast as James Dean, I'm not sure even the alternatives I mentioned could have stood up to the criticism leveled at this film. James Dean still looms large in our collective conscious, maybe too large.

Richard Allen Hamby A pleasant enough flick, but too much time was spent on the Pier Angeli love story - not so much on James's life and career that was teased by the title. The drama about his racing conflicting with his acting career could have been played up even more... that was a "classic American tragedy".However, the BEST performance was a great appearance by Connie Stevens as his agent. She has aged gracefully and is still as vivacious and beautiful as when she was my teen heartthrob Cricket Blake on HAWAIIAN EYE.Also good was the too brief appearance by Robert Mitchum as GIANT director George Stevens. This was Mitchum's last movie and his aging appearance was only made bearable when his wonderful laugh and hug at the end of the movie wrap scene gave a glimpse of the powerful personality of old.

Theo Robertson This despite its title is a love story rather than a biopic of James Dean . The film starts with a voice over from Pier Angeli and the first 40 minutes revolves around her romance with James Dean which is a severe disappointment if you`re watching this expecting to learn much about the legend that was James Dean . The only bits that rise above mediocre is when the film ignores the love story and concentrates on Dean`s career , his fireworks with the Hollywood film makers , and his explanation on " Group dynamics " to a young gang leader . But that`s not enough to save the film from being a waste of time . And I`d just like to add my voice to the chorus that if it wasn`t for the inclusion of a few swear words I would have staked my life that this was a TVM . It contains all the production values and flaws that TVMs are infamous for