Gran Turismo

image for Gran Turismo

Short takes

Not suitable under 12; parental guidance to 14 (coarse language, violence)

Age
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
classification logo

This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Gran Turismo
  • a review of Gran Turismo completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 17 August 2023.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 12 Not suitable due to coarse language and violence.
Children aged 12–14 Parental guidance recommended due to coarse language.
Children aged 15 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Gran Turismo
Classification: M
Consumer advice lines: Coarse language
Length: 134 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) has always loved race cars. From the moment his father took him to see some as a little boy, he was hooked. He spent hours in his room playing Gran Turismo instead of playing sports like his younger brother Coby (Daniel Puig), much to his father’s disappointment. A college drop-out, Jann worked part-time in retail and continued to hone his skills on the track through game simulations, still dreaming of one day driving a real race car. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Motorsport marketing executive Danny Moore (Orland Bloom) is proposing to hold a global championship to find the best sim racers to train on the track and ultimately to sign with Nissan, opening up the company to a whole new concept in consumer marketing. Jann’s consistent high scores earn him a place in the world challenge and, despite his father’s objections and disapproval, Jann goes on to win first place along with the chance to be one of 10 gamers who are trained at an elite racing school set up for the very purpose of turning video game players into racing legends. Their reluctant coach Jack Salter (David Harbour), a former race car driver himself, is there to prove to them all that what they are attempting to do cannot be done. After months of training, Jann is the one chosen to move on to represent the sim racers on the real tracks. He must race with elite drivers, none of whom want him there, against impossible opposition and overwhelming odds to prove not only that he has what it takes to be on the track but that he has what it takes to win. On his last attempt, Jann qualifies to continue, achieves the impossible and signs a deal with Nissan. Jann endures both triumph and tragedy and, in the process of following his dream, changes the trajectory of motorsports forever.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Elitism; Attempting to achieve the impossible against all odds; Believing in something when no one else does; The power of marketing.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • A car spins out and Jann crashes into tyres.
  • A car is totalled as it crashes after losing control on a gravel shoulder.
  • Two cars crash during a race, one breaks apart dramatically, a tyre hitting and cracking Jann’s windscreen.
  • Jann’s race car is involved in a freak accident that kills a spectator.
  • Jann relives his traumatic crash during another race by experiencing repeated flashbacks.
  • Jack grabs a character roughly after an unkind comment is said about Jann.
  • A race car crashes, flips and bursts into flames. The driver crawls from the wreckage, partially on fire.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

  • Nothing further noted for this age group.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • There is a scene in which Jann’s race car flips off the track, tumbles airborne into a fence near a crowd of spectators and crashes into a tree. Everyone is horrified and Jann’s parents (watching the race on TV) are sobbing and devastated. Jann is shown immobilised, with cuts and abrasions, being airlifted to a hospital and there is a sense of foreboding as everyone waits to hear his condition. He turns out to be fine but one of the spectators was killed. Jann has a very difficult time coming to terms with that fact. While not scary, the scenes could be distressing or upsetting to some young viewers.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • Gran Turismo (the game) and Nissan itself are frequently featured and promoted throughout the film.
  • Sony (specifically phones and Walkmans)
  • There is usage of or signage for: Red Bull, Rolex, Bell Helmets, Michelin, CAPA, Tag Heuer, Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Lamborghini.
  • Instagram is mentioned.
  • Kenny G and Enya soundtracks are repeatedly heard and promoted.
  • PlayStation and Puma logos are frequently shown.

Sexual references

  • None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • Jann and a female character kiss passionately on a dance floor and later kiss again after he places in a race.
  • A friend of Jann’s thrusts and gyrates his pelvis while doing some quick erotic dance moves.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • Jann, his brother and some friends all drink beer under a bridge. Jann’s friends are clearly drunk. They pass beers between moving vehicles and are pulled over by the police. Jann speeds off and outmanoeuvres the officers, while his brother and friend drunkenly cheer him on.
  • Characters often drink beer at functions, on planes and in bars or restaurants.
  • Jann and a friend debate trying Sake.
  • Champagne is often offered but Jann and his team defer, saying that Champagne is for the podium.
  • Champagne is sprayed all over drivers at the end of a big race. Danny and Jack drink champagne from glasses and Jann drinks straight from a bottle.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • Shit
  • Bullshit
  • Assholes
  • Jesus Christ
  • Nube
  • Bitch
  • Damn
  • God damn
  • Fuck it.

In a nutshell

Gran Turismo is a fast-paced drama based on the true story of racing legend Jann Mardenborough. The film is impeccably cast and the story will have you cheering for the underdogs and holding your breath during those crucial deciding moments that made certain folks immortal. Due to the language, this is not a film for younger kids but one that will appeal to teen and older audiences as well as a wide variety of racing fans.

The main messages from this movie are to believe in yourself and in the power of your dreams and to follow those dreams to the ends of the Earth, even if all the odds are stacked against you and no one else thinks you can do it.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Determination
  • Courage
  • Strength
  • Persistence
  • Faith.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • Not recognising potential even when it is right in front of you.
  • Wanting people to be something they are not.
  • Allowing challenges or tragedy to derail you from what you set out to achieve.
  • Having a sense of entitlement because of wealth, lineage or prestige and forgetting the incredible power that comes from working hard to get where you want to be.