The Disney brand lives on in "Secretariat", a come-from-behind almost-all-true story of the famous Triple Crown Winner. The two leads are great: Secretariat's owner and trainer Diane Lane and John Malkovich respectively; James Cromwell is decent and Nelsan Ellis and Otto Thorwarth credible as the stable boy and jockey, but the rest of them - particularly the family and friends - you can put in a tub and sail away.
The story, of course, is well known; Secretariat turns out to be the greatest race horse ever (he even makes ESPN's "Top 50 athletes of all time" the only non-human to do so.) The true-to-the-story twist is that Secretariat turns out to be the consolation prize of a lost bet, but still triumphs over all obstacles and odds.
Actually, the story is as much about Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) and how she, well, triumphs over all obstacles and odds. Funny, that. While there are some empty moments while the actors are on screen (the anti-war protests are just dreadful), there aren't when the horses take over, and the POV filmography at the horses' hooves is pretty darn good. The festivities at the actual Kentucky Derby last a week and the race is over in two minutes. I wish there was more screen time for the horses here, but at least it's a better balance than that.
Disney stays true to Disney rather than conduct fealty to actual history, however the changes are not earth shattering, and you will come away with a fair semblance of the real story, if not a perfectly accurate one. A nice tear jerker, very typical for the House of the Mouse, but worth the afternoon if you have an interest in a great sports story, a horse flick, or just like seeing more of John Malkovich's quirky side in an otherwise straightforward role.
The story, of course, is well known; Secretariat turns out to be the greatest race horse ever (he even makes ESPN's "Top 50 athletes of all time" the only non-human to do so.) The true-to-the-story twist is that Secretariat turns out to be the consolation prize of a lost bet, but still triumphs over all obstacles and odds.
Actually, the story is as much about Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) and how she, well, triumphs over all obstacles and odds. Funny, that. While there are some empty moments while the actors are on screen (the anti-war protests are just dreadful), there aren't when the horses take over, and the POV filmography at the horses' hooves is pretty darn good. The festivities at the actual Kentucky Derby last a week and the race is over in two minutes. I wish there was more screen time for the horses here, but at least it's a better balance than that.
Disney stays true to Disney rather than conduct fealty to actual history, however the changes are not earth shattering, and you will come away with a fair semblance of the real story, if not a perfectly accurate one. A nice tear jerker, very typical for the House of the Mouse, but worth the afternoon if you have an interest in a great sports story, a horse flick, or just like seeing more of John Malkovich's quirky side in an otherwise straightforward role.