I just watched this movie. I canโt find a review here that speaks to what I saw foremost in the film. I saw it as the story of America and its great diversity as seen by a foreigner. I found it very endearing. When Burt gets to The States, he first meets a transvestite (who I found to be very well portrayed); then he meets a Hispanic car salesman with great insight into the underbelly of LA; then white people among the working class, then a Native American who shares an amulet and ancient medicine; then a self sufficient country woman of his age who ultimately helps him fix his wheel (such a woman back then was rare), and finally a soldier of Vietnam - all before he gets to Bonneville. The people he was surrounded by at the races were of a whole American subculture themselves. Burt accepted all of these people as just people - all equal. To me, this was a study of humankind and humanity. Maybe it was subtle, but it jumped out at me and I loved it. I particularly loved his relationship with the young lad in New Zealand. What a fine little actor alongside one of the greatest of my generation.