Secretariat raced into theaters this weekend. This Disney film is based on the story of Secretariat, one of the world’s best race horses and the last horse to win The Triple Crown. The film has been advertised as Diane Lane’s turn to win Oscar gold much like Sandra Bullock did in last year’s The Blindside.
Secretariat is a well-told story about a Denver housewife who is saddled with the responsibility of her parent’s horse breeding farm in Virginia. With the luck of coin toss, Diane’s character Penny Tweedy, becomes the owner of a horse farm with a colt that may have a promising future. There are of course many struggles along the way including the hiring of an eccentric trainer, John Malkovich as Lucien Laurin, and finding the best jockey in town. Then there is the pesky business of raising six million dollars to pay the inheritance tax on the farm.
The ending of the film we already know. Secretariat becomes the last horse in history to win The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont Stakes. Winning all three races gave the horse the title of winner of The Triple Crown and a very happy retirement siring other colts.
Diane’s performance is good but with the corny dialogue, she is not given the words to make her shine. Sometimes it feels as if she is trying to overcome this disadvantage and works a little too hard with her expressions. It is agreeable that Diane’s film history deserves recognition and that she is one of a few very talented actresses that Hollywood seems to overlook. Unfortunately, it is doubtful this performance will get her an invitation to the Kodak this coming spring.
John Malkovich has a plumb of a role as a sympathetic and sometimes downright silly character. This is a role that can put someone on the track to award season, if it remains a rememberable performance.
Special notice should be given to Cinematographer Dean Semler and Editor John Wright for the horse racing sequences that brought the horse races to life.
All in all, Secretariat is a good film, but not great. It is a film that would please families and for that is rare today. Secretariat will go down as one of Disney’s go-to family films, but doesn’t seem to have enough going for it to receive award recognitions - with the exception of an outside chance for a supporting nod to John Malkovich.
Secretariet is rated PG and has a run time of 1 hr. 56 min.
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What ever your movie choice this week, please remember your movie theater etiquette: silence your cell phones & no texting please, don't talk during the film and remove your children if they become a distraction to other audience members. Don't forget that laughing, crying and cheering are always approved behavior and even encouraged.
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