Viewed in
2012
Formats
HDTV
Premise
A movie about the horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973, and the people who trained it.
Liked
Characters, Belmont Stakes scene.
Thoughts
Well done enough that it made me care about horse racing for a couple of hours.
The best part of the film was the charming characters, far from being cardboard cutouts. Fred Thompson, James Cromwell, and Scott Glenn had their moments. Though the scene-stealers were John Malkovich and Margot Martindale. Diane Lane carried the film effortlessly as the Penny, the owner.
Interestingly enough, while the film's title was the name of the horse, I felt the film centered more on Penny, as she tried to keep her father's ranch afloat and raise her family, all during tumultuous times when traditional gender roles were questioned. This was clearly the right choice, since it's rather difficult to give a horse personality without coming off hokey.
Since we know the story of this historic run, there wasn't much suspense. Having said that, I credit the director, Randall Wallace, for still making the climax really exciting. As a big sports fan, I know how spine-chilling it is to watch sports magic happen right before your eyes, and he succeeded in capturing that emotion in the Belmont Stakes scenes.
Secretariat worked because of good characters and acting. It's definitely recommendable as a family film, even if you're not a racing fan. And it actually made me forget about Craig Fersuson's awesome "Secretariat Dance" temporarily.
