Another Sub-Plot of Cars is About Grooming:
The main plot of Cars is obvious: Hotheaded rookie learns to not be selfish, that there's more to life than just his career/winning, and taking care of yourself is just as important as developing actual friendships.
What if we were under the impression that he was like that already (selfish), and not that he'd been taught? The movie has already established that it had a sub-plot to it: McQueen's loneliness. It makes constant mentions of it through his facial expressions and dialogue.
An example being this entire scene:
Now, I know the theory seems farfetched... but I believe that McQueen's loneliness ties in with the other sub-plot of the movie: grooming. People often forget the definition of grooming, so I'll reiterate. Yes, it is mainly used to describe children being sexually-exploited by another older figure, but it also is a '...manipulative process where an individual with more power or influence builds a trusting relationship with a vulnerable person for the purpose of exploitation.' This fits McQueen's relationship with Harv perfectly, and I can prove to you why; alongside the reasoning of doing so.
What first caught my attention was 'ancillary rights in perpetuity.' This is language used in legal issues. Ancillary is secondary/additional rights connected to a main work (i.e Tolkien's L.O.T.R and Jackson's movie adaptation). Perpetuity basically means forever. This would mean that he is less of an agent and more of a co-owner, since agents normally don't own any type of rights; they are representives.
The second thing that stood out to me was the way Harv spoke to his client. He is obviously dismissive of McQueen, with directs quotes being: 'Anyway, what a race, champ! I didn't see it, but I heard you were great.' and 'OK, I gotta jump, kid. Let me know how that goes, I'm out.' Contrastingly, Harv indirectly calls himself McQueen's best friend, before exclaiming 'Break bread with your mishpocha here!' Mishpocha is a Yiddish word depicting an entire family network comprising relatives by blood and marriage, but it can indicate close friends as well. Harv takes advantage of the fact that McQueen views him as his best friend, and tries to make it seem that he views him the same way, despite not caring whatsoever.
The third detail was how possessive Harv is towards him. This moment during the movie stood out to me:
The fact that he tracks him individually is worrying. You may think that he has some sort of an excuse, since he is an agent. Regardless of the reasoning, it is illegal to track anyone... unless they consent. This could mean that Harv convinced McQueen somehow from whatever means before the canonical on-screen. As shown earlier when McQueen was in the trailer, it's evident that Harv creates a "push-and-pull" relationship between the both of them. Notice McQueen's reaction. He stops dead in his tracks (no pun intended) once he hears Harv's voice coming from the back of the trailer. There is a reason why the film shows his saddened disappoint. It's to clarify how significantly deep-seated his admiration is. Another thing to note was the contract that Harv stated. He clearly is unfound of McQueen thinking that he doesn't need him. It conflicts with the agent's entitlement.
(While on that topic, the realization of how parallel the two's behaviors are hit me; obviously before the rookie turns over a new leaf. Both use 'baby' as a term of endearment, want nothing but fame and fortune, and are generally selfish and rude in some fashion, having charms to woo others. I wonder if McQueen mirrors him, or if they just so happen to share the same views.)
The fourth thing I wanted to point out—which is common for predators—is blackmail. Harv uses this by threatening to have Mack fired if he didn't get McQueen in the trailer. Why does this matter? Throughout the few appearances Mack has had in the film, he shows genuine care and respect for his boss. The differentiating two have a well-meaning friendship, which could be used against either of their wills. Harv, being the sauvy talent agent he is, can use this tatic to get what he wants. Remember, most abusers tend to have narcissistic tendencies.
Now you may be wondering: What would make McQueen vunerable then? It is assumed that he is at least a young adult. He is constantly referred to as 'kid' by the older cars and the one-time mention of 'bucko'. In addition, the Blu-ray edition of the movie states that he is a "2006 handmade, custom-built, one-of-a-kind race car." It is up to interpretation that he was just created as an adult with no sense of actually growing up, which could explain his childish antics of constantly seeking attention or wanting things to be his way (his tricks and "tantrums" earlier in the film). He was built literally for racing and nothing else, rendering him easy to prey upon. He didn't have that "outer" world experience, unlike everyone else around him. Adding to this, there is no confirmation of him having (present) parents.
Amongst this topic, we also know that he gets deeply attached to older ones he highly respects: Doc Hudson. The beginning of Cars 2 showed this with his memorial garage and the entirety of Cars 3 being about their relationship together. In that same movie, Lightning spends four months staying in that same garage, not bathing—mayhaps not eating/drinking enough—due to him trying to grieve both Doc's and his own crash. In the Art of Cars 3 book, it describes McQueen's Hudson-inspired paintjob akin to "...putting on your dad's old Letterman jacket", being an understandable indication that he views him as a father figure.
On Harv's end, his biography in the Pixerpedia mentions that he is "only ever available on the phone", that "his suave voice and choice of words might sound charming..." That's what predators do: make themselves sound convincing enough to get ahold of what they want. Him refusing to be physically present with his clints gives him more control over them. Well, what does Harv want out of all of this? Simply money and more profit. He doesn't matter if he hurts others in order to bask in their glory; just like a machiavellian.
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