As "Madison" opens in 1971, times are hard for the town, which was once the busiest port above New Orleans and one of the richest cities in the state. Factories are closing, people are moving to big cities to find work, and although Madison is the only town to enter its own boat in the Madison Regatta, things look grim for this year's race.
The boat is "Miss Madison," an Unlimited Hydroplane (I think that means anything goes with engines and speed). The Madison Regatta has been held since 1950; local businessman Jim McCormick (Jim Caviezel) used to pilot the boat, but retired after an injury 10 years earlier.
Now he is suddenly needed again, by the town and the boat, and comes out of retirement to the pride of his son Mike (Jake Lloyd), and the concern of his wife Bonnie (Mary McCormack), who like so many movie wives frets that her spouse is either (a) going to get killed, or (b) not be home for dinner.
Miss Madison's engine has exploded during a time trial and the boat itself is seriously damaged. It looks as if the town will not have an entry in the very year it hosts the famous annual race, but then Mike and his crew go to work. They need a new engine and can't afford one, so under cover of darkness they slip off to a nearby town and steal the engine from an airplane displayed in the courthouse square. Without being a mechanic, I am fairly sure such an engine, if it were indeed still in the plane, would be filled with dead leaves and hornets' nests and would need more than a trip through Jiffy-Lube, but never mind: It purrs right along on race day.
For the town, meanwhile, the race is heaven-sent. It provides a boost for civic morale, keeps a few more citizens from moving away, attracts tourist dollars and television publicity, and gives everyone a chance to sit on the river banks in their lawn chairs with their picnic baskets. Much of this is made possible by Mayor Don Vaughn (Paul Dooley, who played the father in "Breaking Away"). He shifts some city funds, probably illegally, to find the money to back Miss Madison.
As sporting events go, hydroplane racing is pretty straightforward. The powerful boats race around a river course, making lots of waves and noise. Some of the boats have commercial sponsors, and one of the unique elements in "Madison" is negative product placement. One of the boats has "Budweiser" written all over it, and much is made about the rich and high-powered brewery team, but they're the bad guys and we want to see Bud lose to Miss Madison.
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