Secretariat

Starring: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, Margo Martindale, Dylan Baker, James Cromwell, Fred Dalton Thompson, Scott Glenn, Kevin Connolly
Directed by: Randall Wallace
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Diane Lane) risks everything on Secretariat, a horse with the potential to do the unthinkable.

Review:

Tim: I'm a bit of a sucker for these kinds of movies. Secretariat is what you would expect- a feel good, inspirational sports movie from Disney. It's the kind of movie that has been done over and over again. However, it's an underdog story about the unexpected contender doing amazing things. It's hard to not get caught up in the story, especially because it's based on true events. It is a solid movie, and an entertaining, enjoyable experience. I liked the movie very much.

The movie does a good job of portraying Secretariat as the underdog. The owner, Penny Chenery defied the odds as a housewife rose to one of the most powerful individuals in racing. It shows the team and the horse as they race to pull off perhaps the most difficult feat in all of sports- winning the Triple Crown.

I enjoyed the performances of the cast. Diane Lane is very good. She does suffer on occasion from some pretty cheesy, too Disney-ish dialogue (I rolled my eyes more than once), but as a whole, she gives a strong, impressive performance. I liked her in this film very much. John Malkovich was good as an eccentric horse trainer. There were a few too many corny jokes about his clothing, but he did a good job. Dylan Walsh and Dylan Baker were both nice additions, and I'm always a fan of seeing James Cromwell in a film. Scott Glenn had too small a part to be very effective, but I still liked seeing him here. The cast as a whole was good.

The movie did a good job of portraying the journey to the top. There are some thrilling races, some heartbreaking defeats, and the slow rise as Secretariat moves to the top. I liked the portrayal of the three Triple Crown races. The first race was shown in pretty exciting fashion. The second race was brilliantly shown only on television, as we watch the actual race from 1973. That really broke the races up, gave us something to watch, and connected the film to its real-life roots. I thought that was a brilliant choice. The final race was stunning because the result was almost too amazing to be true. I actually had to look the race up in Wikipedia because it seems too much like Disney magic. The story is so stunning and amazing that it makes a perfect Hollywood movie.

There were a number of funny moments throughout the film, which greatly added to the overall quality. It kept the movie entertaining. The races were done very well. While this isn't a great movie, and I can certainly think of better horseracing films (Seabiscuit was much better), Secretariat is still an uplifting movie about following your dreams and beliefs, even when times are tough. It is an entertaining sports movie with heart and a powerful message. Yes, at times it's "too Disney" for its own good, but I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was very, very good.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Seabiscuit, The Rookie