The only reason I saw this movie is because I met one of the actors. Otto Thorwarth, the man who played the jockey. He basically told us his life story, which can be seen by typing his name on YouTube. Seeing the trailer, I pretty much knew what to expect. A feel-good tear-jerker. And I was right.
The movie has so many clichés, I would spend the rest of this review typing out all of them. Presenting the 1970s as an American utopia, presenting Secretariat as some kind of deity, presenting the owners as good, wholesome people with no faults, presenting Secretariat's competition as total moronic asses, a weird, mystical relationship between Penny and the horse, portraying all men as discriminating against women and Penny being the ideal feminist that proves them all wrong, watering down of history, etc., etc., etc.
Yet despite all this and more, there's something about me that really enjoyed this movie. I can't even put my finger on what it is. Was it the acting? Was it because the movie was slightly less corny than I expected it to be? Was it just the fact that deep down, most people like a feel-good story every once in a while. I don't know. Maybe it was a combination of all of these factors. I say the movie is a good movie for families that's worth at least one watch.
The movie has so many clichés, I would spend the rest of this review typing out all of them. Presenting the 1970s as an American utopia, presenting Secretariat as some kind of deity, presenting the owners as good, wholesome people with no faults, presenting Secretariat's competition as total moronic asses, a weird, mystical relationship between Penny and the horse, portraying all men as discriminating against women and Penny being the ideal feminist that proves them all wrong, watering down of history, etc., etc., etc.
Yet despite all this and more, there's something about me that really enjoyed this movie. I can't even put my finger on what it is. Was it the acting? Was it because the movie was slightly less corny than I expected it to be? Was it just the fact that deep down, most people like a feel-good story every once in a while. I don't know. Maybe it was a combination of all of these factors. I say the movie is a good movie for families that's worth at least one watch.