GoHorseShow.com reporter, Laura Gilmer and her seven year-old son, Hunter, were able to attend a sneak preview of the new movie, “Secretariat”, the week before its actual release date. Disney has built a reputation of releasing some of Hollywood’s best and most inspirational sports movies. Now, following in the footsteps of such classics as “The Rookie” and “Miracle” comes “Secretariat.”
After reading some mixed reviews about the film, the movie, overall, was a pleasant surprise. The film’s focus is the life story of Penny Chenery, owner of the racehorse, Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown in 1973.
Despite lacking the emotional impact of films like “Seabiscuit” and “Pharlap”, the backstory about the owner of Secretariat, Penny Chenery, was too inspiring as a woman, mother, and owner of the most famous racehorse of all time to not keep the viewer’s attention.
There was a lack of character development in some of the main players including the actual horse, Secretariat, known as “Big Red”, which pretty much takes a back seat to the owner throughout the film. Nevertheless, the horse’s trainer, Lucian Laurin, played by John Malkovich, and Penny Chenery, played masterfully by Diane Lane, carry the film with their strong performances. The actor John Malkovich plays himself in the role of Lucien Laurin, but, his outlandish attire and personality make for some amusing scenes. Don’t expect to learn in depth details about horse training, horse racing or race farm operations. The primary goal of this film is to deliver a positive warm fuzzy feeling about an awe inspiring animal and a spirited house wife turned savvy business woman.
The race scenes in this film were electrifying, and, the director, Randall Wallace, was still able to create tension despite most adults already knowing the outcome. GoHorseShow.com’s young film critic, Hunter, says he would recommend this film to kids age seven and up. “I love horses. The horse, Secretariat, was my favorite part of the movie. The horse racing scenes were so realistic,” Hunter said. “I loved the action scenes. They were really cool, and I was excited wondering who was going to win.”
At seven years-old, Hunter did not quite understand what was going on regarding the Triple Crown races, but he did love the scenes with the horses and paid attention throughout the whole movie. He also didn’t seem to grasp until the end that this film was based on a true story. The fact he did not know the background and history of Secretariat was actually an advantage, since, he did not know “Big Red” was going to win all three races. Hunter jumped up and down and rooted for Secretariat during each race, and he was genuinely surprised and excited when he won.
If you are looking for a feel good movie appropriate for the whole family, then, “Secretariat” fits the bill. While, it probably won’t be considered one of the best horse films of all time, the ability to learn more about the greatest racehorse of all time and his unlikely owner is worth the trip to the theaters.
The movie is in theaters October 8th. Please let us know what you think once you have seen it.
