The Kid (Selena Gomez) and Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke) have to contend with a sociopath behind a speaker as they careen though Bulgaria in a souped-up Mustang in an effort to save Magna’s wife in “Getaway.” (Photo credit: Warner Bros.)

‘Getaway’ a cliched, uninspired end to summer movie season

Well. That was … something. Trying to synthesize an appropriate response to a movie starring Ethan Hawke as a former racecar driver and Selena Gomez as a computer prodigy proved more difficult than it should have, but it really doesn’t matter: “Getaway” manages to fail on nearly every level, and even a straight-up sexy car — a Shelby Super Snake version of the Ford Mustang — can’t rev up enough excitement to save this amalgamation of ridiculousness.

You know what the biggest issue is? Even with its silly plot and odd-couple casting, “Getaway” should have provided base entertainment. It should have sated the needed for a high-octane, popcorn-worthy summer guy flick to help hold interest though the holiday weekend. It has Hawke, who is a solid draw for most of his movies, Gomez for the kids and girls, and a stunning car that takes the spotlight more often than not. No one expected miracles, but “Getaway” succeeds in reminding us that execution is everything, especially when your leads are stuck in a car most of the movie.

“Getaway,” directed by Courtney Solomon (“An American Haunting”), starts off slow and never finds its pacing. The movie stars Hawke as the disgraced racing driver Brent Magna, whose Bulgarian wife (Rebecca Budig) has been kidnapped. He soon receives a call and is told to steal a unique car (the souped-up Mustang) in order to complete a series of tasks in order to get his wife back safely.

At some point throughout his endeavors, Brent ends up being carjacked by a moody teenager, aptly titled The Kid (Gomez). It seems this car, before it was stylized, belongs to her. It was a gift from her father, the chief executive of the city’s largest investment bank. She’s also a computer whiz kid, awkwardly blending techno jargon with profanities as she helps Brent end this disaster of a car ride.

Racing through the somewhat exotic, definitely unexpected streets of Sofia, Bulgaria, Brent interacts with an unnamed villain (called the Voice in the credits, and voiced by Jon Voight) of whom we can only see his chin and penchant for martinis. He’s the man behind the crazy tasks, and he has the car loaded with cameras, which provides a variety of shots for cinematic purposes, even if they become repetitive.
That’s not the only repetitive action in “Getaway.” From ever-more ridiculous quests to ever-less believable results — “I can’t believe that worked,” Hawke’s character says at one point — it becomes more and more difficult to maintain interest in what’s zipping by at 100 mph.

You’d think there would be more tension, more fear, being portrayed by Hawke and Gomez. Instead, the man whose wife is kidnapped and the girl who is strapped in on a death ride are calm and collected. They feel too analytical and less genuine. Both of the leads seem to lack the skill they’ve exhibited in their other films (think “Before Sunrise” for Hawke and “Spring Breakers” for Gomez.)

And you know when Hawke doesn’t meet basic performance standards, you have some major directorial problems. It’s clear director Solomon is either out of his comfort zone or lacking the necessary skill to manage what should have been an adrenaline-packed movie. It doesn’t help when there are much better versions of Hawke’s driver character, including Ryan Gosling in “Drive” and Paul Walker in “Fast & Furious.” (A positive note: The cars are real in “Getaway,” which is a plus.)

Look, at first the whole “smash everything you see” directives aren’t completely dull. But it quickly loses its luster. Even with the more action-packed third act and the introduction of Gomez to help break the monotony, “Getaway,” which completes a film season the same way it started — “Fast &Furious 6” — leaves us feeling more than just a bit disappointed? What do you expect from a 90-minute car chase?

One turbo-lacking star out of five.

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