Secretariat (B or 3/4 stars)
Disney's latest inspirational sports drama 'Secretariat', directed by Randall Wallace, follows the feminist efforts of dignified housewife & mother Penny Chenery (played with grace by Diane Lane) to nurture her horse, Secretariat, into the incredible champion that he would become in 1973 while, at the same time, continually refusing to sell him to pay off the massive estate tax that arises from the death of her father (Scott Glenn). She loves horses, but lacks knowledge in horse-racing. So to keep her father's Virginia-based stables, & to train young Secretariat properly, Penny hires the obstinate, unorthodox, but genius horse trainer Lucien Laurin (a very funny John Malkovich), who uses this opportunity to reverse his reputation as a loser.
Penny gets additional support from Mrs. Hamm (Margo Martindale), & her family (led by her husband, played by Dylan Walsh). For a jockey, she hires Ronnie Turcotte (Otto Thorwath), who gives it his all in every race; just like his steed. One of Penny's only allies is Ogden Phipps (James Cromwell), one of the richest men in the world (at the time), & the richest to have bought the syndicated rights to Secretariat - provided he wins his races. The 'bad guy' in the film is Pancho Martin (Nestor Serrano), the owner of Secretariat's main competitor in all 3 Triple Crown races (which Secretariat obviously won).
I liked 'Secretariat' just fine. Diane Lane gives a lovely performance. Watching this film is a wonderful excuse to re-live that exciting piece of sports history. The whole thing is relatively solid. It looks great {high production values}. But as a piece of cinema, it's quite humdrum. Not bad, not reprehensible ... but difficult to praise in terms of high cinema. And for a sports movie about an underdog that defies the odds to win; who knew the underdog would be the human, Penny (a risk-taker who overcomes 1960's sexism), and not Secretariat (who had perfect breeding, anyway). Had the film focused more on the races & the training of the horse (especially near the end), I may have been more tuned-in to the sticky-sweet narrative.
Instead, however, the film focuses mainly on Penny's (who, by the way, I wasn't wild about as a real-life character) unremarkable life & several other minor characters, as well. Because of this, I watched the movie with a sense of 'well, I know how this scene is going to go, I know what she's going to say right now, etc. There are cliches everywhere. 2003's Seabiscuit wasn't perfect, but it was very good on all levels; & reeled me in from the 1st frame 'til the end. The first time I sat up in my seat & took notice of anything cinematically creative (or fascinating) here was during the actual racing scenes.
Be it the horse, the jockey, Penny's anxious face, the hoofs kicking up the dirt, the swelling music, the display of athleticism ... I got emotional; in fact, no less than 4 different times {cue the tissues, haha}. But really, this is the most okay movie I've ever seen that got me crying 4 times. Usually, such stirring of emotion would equate to an excellent movie. But my appreciation of horses and of Secretariat's amazing feat overrode my cognizance that the movie is told in a somewhat flat-footed, all-too predictable way. I was pleased as I exited the theater, but expected 'Secretariat' to be better.
Penny gets additional support from Mrs. Hamm (Margo Martindale), & her family (led by her husband, played by Dylan Walsh). For a jockey, she hires Ronnie Turcotte (Otto Thorwath), who gives it his all in every race; just like his steed. One of Penny's only allies is Ogden Phipps (James Cromwell), one of the richest men in the world (at the time), & the richest to have bought the syndicated rights to Secretariat - provided he wins his races. The 'bad guy' in the film is Pancho Martin (Nestor Serrano), the owner of Secretariat's main competitor in all 3 Triple Crown races (which Secretariat obviously won).
I liked 'Secretariat' just fine. Diane Lane gives a lovely performance. Watching this film is a wonderful excuse to re-live that exciting piece of sports history. The whole thing is relatively solid. It looks great {high production values}. But as a piece of cinema, it's quite humdrum. Not bad, not reprehensible ... but difficult to praise in terms of high cinema. And for a sports movie about an underdog that defies the odds to win; who knew the underdog would be the human, Penny (a risk-taker who overcomes 1960's sexism), and not Secretariat (who had perfect breeding, anyway). Had the film focused more on the races & the training of the horse (especially near the end), I may have been more tuned-in to the sticky-sweet narrative.
Instead, however, the film focuses mainly on Penny's (who, by the way, I wasn't wild about as a real-life character) unremarkable life & several other minor characters, as well. Because of this, I watched the movie with a sense of 'well, I know how this scene is going to go, I know what she's going to say right now, etc. There are cliches everywhere. 2003's Seabiscuit wasn't perfect, but it was very good on all levels; & reeled me in from the 1st frame 'til the end. The first time I sat up in my seat & took notice of anything cinematically creative (or fascinating) here was during the actual racing scenes.
Be it the horse, the jockey, Penny's anxious face, the hoofs kicking up the dirt, the swelling music, the display of athleticism ... I got emotional; in fact, no less than 4 different times {cue the tissues, haha}. But really, this is the most okay movie I've ever seen that got me crying 4 times. Usually, such stirring of emotion would equate to an excellent movie. But my appreciation of horses and of Secretariat's amazing feat overrode my cognizance that the movie is told in a somewhat flat-footed, all-too predictable way. I was pleased as I exited the theater, but expected 'Secretariat' to be better.