I try not to think too much about moviemaking when I watch a movie, because I’ll very quickly take myself out of the movie once my mind starts wandering to VFX (“I bet that’s a sky replacement”) or the set decoration (“Was that Van Halen poster for sale in 1978?”) or the props (“She’s running with a hammer in her hand, so it’s probably rubber”) and so on. I’m particularly susceptible (as I’m sure you are) to cars in movies.
If it’s a period piece and the car did not actually go on sale until significantly later than the movie’s timeline, that’s a red alert. Or, if the car is way too nice/expensive for the character in question – see Mare of Easttown – then I’m out of the movie. See also: weird details, such as otherwise well-cast 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup in the miniseries Candy, which is appropriately fresh-looking (the events are set in 1980), but it’s lowered to near hella-flush status and wearing what appears to be a set of Ronal Turbo wheels. All I could think about when I saw it was the wheels and stance were either a big car-casting miss, or the milquetoast character who drives the thing had some secret car-guy life that was to be revealed in a later episode. “Chekhov’s Ronal Turbos,” if you will.
When done well, the car-casting choices just feel right. Consider the wonderful choices made for Widow’s Bay, which Jason extols here, and you can listen to Torch talk car-casting with the actual car-casters here. Most recently for me, I hit the recliners at my local Cinemark to take in The End of Oak Street, which I highly recommend as a thrilling film full of surprises and fun, and a far better “Spielberg movie” than actual Steven Spielberg’s last outing (Disclosure Day), which was firmly meh. Where was I? Right, the car casting. Along with the 1973 Dodge Coronet in the topshot, the just-scraping-by Platt family owns a much newer Dodge Omni (or maybe it’s a Plymouth Horizon, same diff) which seems like exactly the sort of car a family might purchase in circa 1982 while still keeping a nearly ten-year-old heap going for frugality’s sake.
How about you – seen any cars on the small or silver screen that made you think “that’s just the right car for that character”? Or maybe the opposite? See you in the comments.
Top graphic image: Bad Robot/Warner Bros.
Ghost Dog and Married to the Mob had incredible car casting.
I really enjoyed the cars that showed up in Tom Cruise’s “American Made”. The various Cadillacs were the big draw for me, but things like his wife’s idiot brother’s “new money” custom Gremlin X along with their homely ’76 Volare wagon were nice touches as well.
Severance is light on car scenes but the main protagonist drives a Volvo 700-series sedan and another major character drives a Mk 1 VW Rabbit, among a few others.
60s lincoln limo too
The Stallone superhero movie Samaritan (2022) had a gang of antagonists that rolled around in a 1972 (4-door!) Gran Torino, a ’74 Ranchero, and an ’84 Buick Regal.
All rattlecan black, with black wheels.
The movie was just okay, but I thought that was great car-casting for a street-level gang to have cars that were undeniably cool, but “attainable cool,” rather than the pricier, sought-after collector’s cars typically driven by movie bad guys.
Widow’s Bay, obviously. The cars are all perfectly cast to the individual or the position (I mean, the missing center cap on that mid-90s Explorer sheriff’s vehicle is an excellent touch) and the fact that the Mayor’s Jeep is probably the newest vehicle on the island is awesome at establishing that this really is an isolated island where getting a new vehicle is not casual.
Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 1 had a brilliant use of a facelifted, but used 2016-ish base model Honda CR-V in faded burgundy to establish Ted’s liminal space joyless existence in a cookie cutter pre-planned suburb in a field. I thought it was excellent car casting. Keely’s upgraded ride is also brilliant. Seasons 1-3 saw her in a quaint (but perfect) Miata. Season 4, she’s the Chief Marketing Officer of a major football club, so her new Alpine A110 is stellar. Keeping Roy in his G-Wagon makes total sense.
Really…Ted Lasso did excellent car casting. Rebecca being driven in her Phantom and driving a Range Rover herself does wonders for making it clear she is established upper crust, not new money. Trent Crimm, The Independent, driving his 300 SL convertible is so unbelievably perfect I can’t imagine him in anything else. Higgins with the paid off Volvo 850 gets a check for practical perfection. Sam’s Tesla (at the time) makes sense for his very conscious and concerned world view, so he’d definitely get an EV that would be respectable and responsible. It’s all so good!
Every time I rewatch Moneyball I love the casting of the 1998 black Dodge Ram 1500 for Billy Beane’s ride. The lift, the chrome light bar, it all works for a small-market GM who does well (roughly $700,000 a year on a contract basis), but knows it could all end tomorrow. I do still wonder…what in the world is the low slung, probably 70s, coupe he’s sitting in listening to the end of the 2001 season at the beginning of the movie? You only see it from that single interior angle and it’s haunted me! My guess is something like a Monte Carlo/Grand Prix/Cutlass, but I’m stumped.
The Studio: Phenomenal. I mean, that Apollo 5000 GT with STD HEAD as the vanity plate? Inspired, chef’s kiss, no notes. Plus all the other great stuff, the Corvair, the ‘54 Vette, the Checker, and great use of modern stuff. It all makes sense.
Bosch: Keeping Harry’s old worn Cherokee was a great idea. I also can’t explain how, but the Crown Vic detective car was somehow the best version of that car for him. It got some great action shots (that power slide out of the Vegas hotel when he got word his daughter and ex-wife were taken is dynamite!) and felt exactly right.
No love for Nathan driving a mini? ????
Much love to Nathan driving a Mini and also the wonderful Aston casting to illustrate that his villain turn was awkward, strange, and never a good fit. I should absolutely have included it!
Walter White’s Aztec was perfect. Skyler’s Grand Wagoneer seemed too cool for her. Maybe a beater Pacifica or even a Taurus with body rust?
Big Screen…
‘Ronin’ is excellent for cars. Performance modded early 2000s Audi S8 as a hero getaway car with a professional driver on the crew.
The 1980s Bruno Sacco Mercedes
The Citroen XMs as baddies chase cars…
Believe it or not the old Disney Herbie movies are Awesome for car spotting too
Also the original Italian Job (1969): original Austin Mini Cooper S models for the iconic chase, along with an Aston Martin DB4, two Jaguar E-Types, and an orange Lamborghini Miura
The Mercedes-Benz in Ronin wasn’t a 1980’s model, nor was it by Bruno Sacco.
The 6.9 was a late 70’s W116 – designed by Frederich Geiger with final styling completed in 1969.
Bruno didn’t become chief engineer until 1974, and took over as chief stylist in 1975.
Tks Urban Runabout, it Has been quite a while since I’ve watched Ronin!
Everything everyone said here plus:
Dark Winds.
60’s era Suburbans, etc. and refreshingly rough, there are cheapish car props (when interior car scenes are filmed you can see the less than perfect upholstery!
Mercedes in The Hangover
Chainsaw Man, despite being a cartoon, has lots of accurate real-life in the backgrounds, rather than just generic fake cars. It’s pretty cool to see an original Mini, a ’90s Subaru Legacy, or a Honda Acty kei truck.
Archer. Sure, it is animated, but the cars! The cars used by the various characters are great, but if you watch the background, there are so many fantastic cars it would take ages to document all of them.
I was going ro comment ‘Archer’ as well! It is clear the people behind that show love cars.
Recently watch Pluribus, which is a great show on Apple’s streamer, done by Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad fame. There are some interesting car choices that really speak to the characters’ states of mind, seeing as the 12 non-hive-minded people can have any car they want. The lead character, a successful novelist, starts out with her Range Rover, and at some point switches to an old square-bodied GMC truck. When that later fails to start she grabs an abandoned Ford Taurus Police Interceptor. When she drives that one into the ground, she finally decides to move up an grab a Rolls Royce Ghost.
Then there is the one guy who is taking full advantage of the situation and has a row of Lambos parked for his use at the Vegas Hotel he has moved into.
And then the Paraguayan who burns his prized MG Midget rather than let the hive-mind use it.
I would perhaps put the Boroughs. It’s by the same people as Stranger Things and the cars are well thought out.
The main stage is a huge retirement community with 4 hours on cul-de-sacs. As the main character is dropped off my his daughter (driving an Explorer that has the Ford oval removed), it is revealed that the 3 vehicles on this street aren’t the rounded pastel blob GEMs that everyone else seems to use.
First is a couple that has a 73 F-150. The couple is revealed to still have 70s attitudes about a lot of life and fashion as well.
The main character is a humble, quiet man that is mourning the loss of his wife. His daughter set him up with a flamed out Golf Kart with flags. Which is the absolute last thing he wants to drive. This “I didn’t get to pick my vehicle” is right into the idea of him being forced into a retirement community in the first place.
Finally, there’s a 63 Galaxie convertible. Stands out like a sore thumb. Genna Davis drives it. This is very clever. Anyone that has seen Thelma and Louis doesn’t recognize the car. It’s not the same color, year or model. But there’s a niggling in the back of your mind.
The Gems and EVs absolutely would work in a big retirement community like this, but the main characters being in odd-ball vehicles that don’t fit in matches the plot. Add the hints of who the characters are just from the vehicles they own and these cars help with character development.
Agreed – The first thing I thought of when I saw that Galaxie Convertible was “This is a reference to “Thelma and Louise” – particularly that specific scene…
I didn’t get it at first, I just sort of knew what her character was like without her saying her first line. Then a couple episodes in…
A late entry, and from an older movie most in the US never heard of. Day Watch. There’s an inspired and very well done scene with a red RX 8 that’s worthy as a casting choice. The whole movie ( and the companion film Night Watch) are big budget sci-fi horror modern witch/vampire hunting epics from a before Russia, back when there was some hope the country might emerge from its hell hole…
Check it out. It’s cool…
https://youtu.be/gVE0NqOYE7A?is=JmPp6cOY-mWD75KC
PS The movie’s 20 years old now, but the FX, at least to me, hold up exceptionally well.
“Most recently for me, I hit the recliners at my local Cinemark to take in The End of Oak Street, “
I just watched that movie at my local Cineplex… It was good… I enjoyed it.
One BAD car casting I can think of is the bright red Ford Gran Torino with the white stripe in Starsky and Hutch.
Starsky and Hutch were supposed to be undercover cops. For them to drive a look-at-me bright red Torino with a white stripe is really stupid when you think about it.
I nominate “Interstellar” and the star of the show: Matthew McConaughey’s G56 equipped Cummins
Almost everybody living in the fictional town of Verplanck NY in the 2000 movie Drowning Mona drove a Yugo GV except for Danny DeVito’s 86 Plymouth Horizon police car and Casey Affleck’s 84 Toyota pick up. According to the movie the town was picked for testing the cars .
https://www.imcdb.org/m186045.html?__cf_chl_tk=5YZNGiXdX17cqi.qBFUdmAQGp70s8DjSizGH1KmAfEU-1787320419-1.0.1.1-Tcr33DX1CBDQX7w0250R8yOwkA1cROUu__HK1ipcEro
There was a trend for a while in movies, where if they HAD to show a character’s automobile, it was always a Prius. This, of course to signal to the moviegoers that THIS CHARACTER IS RESPONSIBLE WORLD CITIZEN THAT CARES ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT!!
Big screen: “Election” where public school teacher Matthew Broderick is driving around in a shitbox Ford Festiva.
Small screen: “Breaking Bad” where public school chemistry teacher Walter White is driving around in a shitbox Pontiac Aztek.
Any screen: Uncle Buck: No more need be said.
Basically anytime a character drives something realistic to their income and debt load.
The Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events had great cars, as mentioned by Torch on the old site: an Olds Toronado, an Austin A40, an early 50’s Ford F1, Volvo PV544… the list goes on.
The most recent Batman movie had Bruce Wayne driving around in a black 63 split-window Corvette Stingray which was a way better billionaire choice than a Lambo or Ferrari for a daily cruiser