Rating: Summary: Surprised myself by really liking it! Review: I did not want to watch this movie. I mean an old story about some horse? Didn't sound like my kind of movie. But it was a family gathering and I would have been considered rude if I had left, so I stayed and reluctantly started watching. WOW...I am so glad that I did. This story of a heartbroken (rich) father, an excentric horse trainer, a lonely but persistent jockey and Seabiscuit (the little horse that could), will break your heart first and then raise your spirits! Even if you don't consider yourself a history buff, and you don't like horses, by the end of this movie you will be at the edge of your seat yelling "GO SEABISCUIT GO!!!" I don't know quite how they did it, but this movie will reel you in. Perhaps it is Tobey Maguire and his beautiful smile and incredible acting. He makes you feel lonely, and hurt and skeptical, but then courageous and hopeful and brave! Or maybe it's the way Jeff Bridges plays the heartfelt, nice "father figure" who never gives up on Seabiscuit or Maguire. Whatever it is , it works. Watch this movie, you will love it!
Rating: Summary: A Terrific Story Well Told Review: Look, everyone. Don't believe the negative reviews for a second. This is a terrific, albeit imperfect film. The cinematography is breathtaking at times, and the soundtrack by Randy Newman is inspiring. Jeff Bridges is convincing as are Chris Cooper, Tobey MaGuire, and William Macy. Oh, and the horse that plays Seabiscuit is pretty darned good too.
Rating: Summary: Rising to the Top Review: Laura Hillenbrand's book "Seabiscuit" is a story of men and animals rising to the top. They overcame odds,obstacles, and enemies to become champions in their time. Charles howard started out as a bicycle salesman and rises to the top of the Buick Automtive company. Tom Smith goes from a broke traveling horse trainer living in stalls to a world class trainer living in the lap of luxary. Red pollard is a broke, lonely, struggling jockey, but becomes a famous rider later on in life. Seabiscuit is an out-of-control stakes horse, but becomes one of the most famous and lucrative horses of all. All these individuals had the odds stacked against them. They worked hard and never gave up, even when things looked grim. Everyone doubted them because things never seemed to go right for them. Injuries, weather, and weight made other doubt these individuals even more. Team Seabiscuit was an underdog; they took their blows and kept going. Thin was the "American Dream", picking yourself up and rising to the top. They went through a trial-by-fire and thrugh that fire was made a champion.
Rating: Summary: Predictable, even before it starts... Review: To start, the director did a horrible job of making the film interesting. Sure, there is an under-dog winning in the end. I have seen plenty of uplifting films. The problem is almost everything is predictable to a point of nonsence. We see the guy watch the chick undress. His vision blurs. I wonder how that will affect his racing... We see a boy driving up a hill with a car coming in the opposite direction. Could they collide? We see Seabiscuit running on a track. Ironically, two men are fixing a very large tractor or somethin directly next to the track. Perhaps something will happen! We see Jeff Bridges looking for a guy to look after sea biscuit. I wonder who that man could be? We see in the papers that there is a horse dominating the races, and Seabiscuit wants to race the horse. I wonder who will win? I just pointed out 5 or so things that are so predictable right when the movie starts. The film is so lifeless that it drags along in my opinion. WHy do I want to watch this movie if I know who will win. The movie has no comedic moments. There are boring stories going on and maybe one good horse race to speak of. Everything else is boring. Predictable, boring, and lifeless. Wonderful! Sadly enough though, many people feel that they are obligated to give this film 5 stars because it is "uplifting". It is like giving a child a lolli-pop. Don't expect to be blown away because it is obvious he will be happy.
Rating: Summary: Is that it? Review: I saw this movie a month after it came out and only saw it because of all the hype about it saying that this was one of the best movies ever. After I was done watching the movie, I was left wondering if I had seen the same film. First, the movie is way too long. The first half hour or so is a boring preamble about the Great Depression. Everyone who has had high school history knows what the depression was like, so we don't need a narrator to remind us! I remember looking at my watch several times during the movie wondering when the movie would actually start. Second, although the actors in the movie are very good, the material that they are given are not. We are supposed to root for Tobey Macquire and Jeff Bridge's characters, but they are both so pathetic that I couldn't make myself feel empathy for them. The best performances in this movie were given by Gary Stevens, who is a professional jockey and not an actor and the horse who plays Seabiscuit, who is in fact a HORSE. Perhaps it is appropriate in a movie like this that a horse upstages the lead actors, but I would have expected Jeff Bridges and Tobey Macquire to put up a little more effort. Finally, I didn't like the movie because it was framed like a history channel documentary. The movie has a narrator and the effect of the narrator being there was that I felt that I was watching some kind of afterschool History Channel documentery rather than watching these great events unfolding. The narration made the action so much more stale. Perhaps I am the only person in the world who didn't like this movie. There is and was so much hype surrounding this film that people seem to have lost track of the fact that it isn't that good. It would be a shame if the movie wins any awards.
Rating: Summary: Calling even the non-horsey people of the World Review: It was about time someone made another horse film! This is a great film whether you are a horse person or not. Having read the book and watched the film, I felt this filmmaker(Gary Ross) did a great job wrapping you up in the true drama that the nation felt at the time of The Depression. Everyone has felt like they were an underdog, just like Seabiscuit was, which between the time period and being the underdog is how Seabiscuit became America's horse. Through I was very excited to see how well the characters were portrayed through Tobby Maguire (Red Polland), Jeff Bridges (Charles Howard), and Chris Cooper (Tom Smith). Tom Smith's character left me wondering if there was any connection to The Horse Whisperer because of his training techniques. Even "Seabiscuit" was well planned out character of what horse to pick for the part. This movie did leave out a lot of action that happened between the races and the effects of traveling across the nation multiple times, but to include it would have been very difficult. I really enjoyed the fact that the producers did not make Seabiscuit win every race like some movies tend to do.
Rating: Summary: Seabiscuit is a Winner! Review: Seabiscuit was the great son of Man of War and if you know anything about horse racing, Man of War was one if not thee best horse to ever race. Although Seabiscuit did not reflect his sire's physical attributes and demeanor, Seabiscuit no doubt reflected his speed and desire to compete. This true story is not only a wonderful account of Seabiscuit's triumphs, but incorporates the story of his owner, his trainer and his jockey all of whom needed each other in more ways than just on the track. C.S. Howard (Beau Bridges) was a self-made businessman who went from working in an automobile factory to running his own automotive franchise. Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) was a horse whisperer/trainer who understood the heart and soul of a horse. Johnny "Red" Pollard (Tobey McGuire) had the natural ability to ride although a head taller than the average jockey. These three men have a destiny that will cross paths and lead them to personal as well as professional success. The story incorporates the history of the great depression era which affected Red Pollard as a mere teenager separating him from his family as well as the impact the automobile had on society which offered C.S. Howard the opportunity to gain wealth in the West. Seabiscuit was a colt that was overlooked from the very start. Due to his smaller size (slight of 15 hands) and laid back mannerisms, Seabiscuit was used primarily as a racing companion for other horses when he is spotted by Tom Smith. Smith convinces Howard to purchase the horse for the then low rate of $2,000. From there Seabiscuit becomes the horse to beat. His biggest challenges will lie with a duel with War Admiral (a Triple Crown winner) and with a comeback after a serious injury. This is one of those heart-warming the-underdog-always-triumphs stories.
Rating: Summary: Awesome movie!!! Review: This was a great movie. I really enjoyed Tobey McGuire in it. I love horses and this was very enjoyable to watch. It also had a great meaning behind it...buy it today!!!
Rating: Summary: Wonderful! Review: Great! Did leave the plot line of the book a few times, but a beautiful story!!! Excellently done and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Enough said, this is a fantastic pick for any horse lover or anyone in general at all!
Rating: Summary: Put away the jades, people Review: There is a lot of unreedeming, worthless trash coming out of Hollywood these days. With that in mind, I recommend Seabiscuit as an antidote to said trash. Nowadays, anything with heart and a good message that doesn't shock, offend, or annoy should be encouraged, even though the negative comments about this film are mostly valid. Yes, it is confusing at the start as you wind up awash in characters, but it all settles down and gives you something to cheer about, which is what Seabiscuit evidently did for the Americans in the Depression. Yes, it is refrigerator magnet-like in its earnestness. Dont let that stop you from renting or buying this mostly wholesome, uplifting movie.
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