A few fanatical fathers turn a Pinewood Derby race into an unhealthy obsession, forgetting the race is meant for Cub Scouts and not them.
This completely fictional, in-no-way-based-in-reality story is the plot of Down and Derby, a 2005 comedy written and directed by Eric Hendershot.
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, watch the PG-rated movie for free right here. (You can also buy it here.)
While Down and Derby was not produced by the Boy Scouts of America, all copyrights were used with the BSA’s permission. Boys’ Life magazine even previewed the film in its October 2004 issue (see the end of this post).
Let’s see what the stars of Down and Derby are up to now — more than a decade after the film’s debut.
Greg Germann as Phil Davis
Before: Germann played Richard Fish in the show Ally McBeal.
Down and Derby: Germann plays Phil Davis, a dad whose entire life has been filled with second-place finishes. When it’s time to compete in the Pinewood Derby with his son, he’s determined to finish first — even if it means excluding his son from the process.
After: Germann recently appeared as Hades in a recurring role on Once Upon a Time, the ABC fantasy series.
Lauren Holly as Kim Davis
Before: Holly starred as Mary Swanson in the classic comedy Dumb & Dumber and as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in Picket Fences.
Down and Derby: Holly plays Phil’s wife, Kim, who is the den leader in charge of the boys. After she gives the Cub Scouts their Pinewood Derby car kits, she’s dismayed to learn that the dads have taken over building the actual cars.
After: Holly had a long-running role on NCIS. Her most recent major role was as Dr. Betty Rogers, a medical examiner, on the Canadian police drama Motive. In the U.S., the series aired on ABC for two seasons and moved to USA Network for its third and fourth/final season.
Adam Hicks as Brady Davis
Before: Hicks had a role in Titus, the Fox comedy starring Christopher Titus. Hicks, who was 7 when the series began, played the child version of the main character’s half-brother.
Down and Derby: Hicks plays Brady Davis, son of Kim and Phil. He wants to build his own Pinewood Derby car, but his dad doesn’t let him. So he find another way to build a car without Dad’s help.
After: Hicks portrayed Luther on the Disney XD show Zeke and Luther, which ended in 2012. His most recent project is a major role as Diesel on Freakish, a horror series on Hulu.
Pat Morita as Ono Yakimoto
Before: Morita earned an Oscar nomination for his role as Mr. Miyagi in 1984’s The Karate Kid. He starred in dozens of other movies and TV shows in his long career.
Down and Derby: Morita plays Ono Yakimoto, owner of Yakimoto company. Phil is so focused on building a winning Pinewood Derby car that he neglects to develop the Yakimoto ad campaign for his company.
After: Morita died Nov. 24, 2005, the same year Down and Derby was released.
Marc Raymond as Ace Montana
Before: Down and Derby was Raymond’s first feature film. Before that, he lived in Park City, Utah, where he acted in theater productions like Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar. He also emceed charity events and appeared in local commercials.
Down and Derby: Raymond plays Ace Montana, Phil’s slick rival who has been beating Phil at pretty much everything since they were kids. The Pinewood Derby car Ace built when he was 8 still holds the record for the fastest Pinewood Derby car on record.
After: His most recent film was the 2012 thriller Travelling Salesman, which gained critical recognition at the Silicon Valley Film Festival. Raymond also had a guest role in a 2012 episode of the CBS drama Criminal Minds.
Hunter Tylo as Teri Montana
Before: Tylo portrayed Dr. Taylor Hayes on the long-running CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She was a series regular from 1990 until 2002.
Down and Derby: Tylo plays Ace’s wife, Teri.
After: Tylo returned to The Bold and the Beautiful in 2004, remaining a series regular until 2014. In all, she is credited in 1,897 episodes of the show.
Perry Anzilotti as Big Jimmy Scaldoni
Before: In the ’90s, Anzilotti was the Cookie Man in a long-running series of commercials for SnackWell’s Cookies. His long list of TV appearances includes Coach, Dinosaurs, Empty Nest, Seinfeld, Grace Under Fire, Married With Children, Curb Your Enthusiasm and ER.
Down and Derby: Anzilotti plays Big Jimmy, Phil’s friend who at 5-foot-2 doesn’t exactly live up to his name. Big Jimmy is responsible for some of the film’s funniest moments.
After: The character actor had roles on ABC’s Modern Family and Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Danny Shepherd as Danny Scaldoni
Before: Down and Derby was Shepherd’s first film/TV role.
Down and Derby: Shepherd plays Big Jimmy’s son and a friend of Brady Davis.
After: Shepherd most recently created and starred in Nightwing: The Series, a YouTube miniseries about Batman’s sidekick.
Ross Brockley as Blaine Moosman
Before: As Mark, a slacker who still lives with his parents, Brockley starred in a series of hilarious Holiday Inn commercials.
Down and Derby: Brockley plays Blaine Moosman, one of Phil’s friends. Blaine, Phil and Big Jimmy work together to build a Pinewood Derby car.
After: Brockley starred in the 2013 psuedo-documentary Sick Birds Die Easy.
Robert Costanzo as Claude
Before: Costanzo appeared in dozens of movies and films, including Total Recall, Saturday Night Fever and Die Hard 2.
Down and Derby: Costanzo plays Claude, who is something of a Pinewood Derby expert.
After: The character actor recently played Jay’s business rival, Earl Chambers, in an episode of Modern Family.
Trailers and clips
Down and Derby in Boys’ Life
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