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Summary: Movie is not only about a horse named Seabiscuit
Review: What an unbelievably inspiring and motivating movie! This is, so far, the best movie of 2003. We have watched this film two times and felt inspired everytime. Because it is a true story, the film has tremendous impact and insight. Although I have heard of Seabiscuit, I never knew the whole story about the horse, the owner, the jockey, the trainer, and the rest of the people associated with this race horse. After viewing this movie, I started reading the book. Hollywood needs to put more films out there that uplift our society and provides inspiration and hope to people.
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Summary: Oscar Winner For Sure
Review: I saw this movie and I will return to the theater again and again. Hopefully movie goers will see the heart of this movie as hope. Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Tobey McGuire, and William Macy do a wonderful job. The director of photography should win an Oscar for the story telling with his/her lens when words were not necessary. I did not read the book before going and seeing the movie but I will purchase it now. Tell all your family members to go see this movie!![] Dinah
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Summary: Seabiscuit
Review: WOW ! WOW ! WOW ! GREATEST SPORTS MOVIE SINCE THE NATURAL ! END OF STORY!!
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Summary: Running Brave
Review: The thrilling true story of three damaged men and a damaged horse, who unite to become winners at a time in the 1930's when Americans needed a victory. This movie is factually faithful to Laura Hillenbrand's inspiring book, while brilliantly using its own medium to produce beauty, power, and exicitment. Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper give excellent performances. Randy Newman has written a fine score. The direction is impeccable. This is a film we can care about.
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Summary: Outstanding "Horse" Opera
Review: It is so good to see a movie of substance. We get so few nowadays we have to savor every one. This is an absolutely great movie with 3 exceptional performances, by 3 exceptional guys. Tobey Maguire's performance as the jockey who has been through his share of bumps in the road makes his Spiderman performance look almost weak. Chris Cooper as the down on his luck trainer who gets his big break turns in another exceptional
portrayal. Anyone who does not know Chris Cooper should check up on his resume. He is nothing short of a class act, whom I have raved about in a few other reviews. Jeff Bridges deserves a lifetime achievement award any day now. His role as Seabiscuit's owner is a more than worthy effort if there ever was one. The cinematography is top notch, with some awesome views of the horses as they race and from horseback. The narration, so as to let us live in the timeframe this great horse dwelled in, is a welcome touch. If you are tired of all the overblown, hyped, mechanical garbage that some of the movie studios are putting out nowadays....See this. It gives us all hope. In more ways than one.
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Summary: This flick was no nag
Review: The summer of 2003 feel good movie, Seabiscuit was an entertaining but unfortunately overly corny adaptation of Laura Hillebrand's inspiring novel. The cliche ridden flick was awesomely cinematographed and had a Ken Burns documentary feel when late 1920's and 1930's historical background was presented. The acting performances were for the most part, first rate. Tobey Macguire, playing jockey Red Pollard, is a gifted young actor. The immensely talented Chris Cooper's character Tom Smith did not provide an expansive enough role to unveil his ability. Jeff Bridges was only decent as Seabiscuit's millionaire owner, Charles Howard often not selling the emotions he strove to display. To me, William H. Macy stole the show as Tick Tock McGlaughlin, the booze swilling, handicapping, horse racing radio personality. The story itself was a perfect vehicle for the silver screen, succeeding in promoting the "if you don't succeed at first try, try again" cliche. The flick was a wonderful portrayal of the sentiment of the country which was on the brink of war and used Seabiscuit's exploits as a well needed distraction. The movie certainly might be worthy of some Oscars.
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Summary: Up the Back Stretch
Review: Saw this movie yesterday in a packed theatre with all ages. The cinematography is breath-takingly beautiful. When Seabiscuit runs, you feel like you are along for the ride, whether he is running through a beautiful forest, or on a race track. The thundering of hooves put us in the middle of the action This movie is not corny or overly sentimental. Ignore the cynics. This is what going to the movies should be like. I can't put into words how wonderful this movie is, or how moving it is. I loved the narration, the pictures from the 1930s, the history, and the true story of the three men lost and searching for meaning when their lives converge to turn a mistreated, misunderstood, angry, uncooperative horse into the fastest race horse in the nation, and a beloved national symbol of hope and second chances.
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Summary: this is one of the beautiful movie i ever seen
Review: this is one the best movies i have ever seen.it was great from start to end. this is a great family movie i saw about all ages of people there and all seemed to enjoy it. this will touch your heart in many ways. there were times to laugh and there were times that i was sitting with tears rolling down my cheecks. but i can say it was the kinds of tears that made me feel good having them roll.this is a movie i will buy the first day it comes out on dvd. so if you want to see a good movie go see this and laugh most of all cry and have fun.
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Summary: First entrant into this year's Best Picture Handicap
Review: I'm not a horse racing fan. After seeing SEABISCUIT, I'm still not. But it's a darn fine picture. Seabiscuit was born in May 1934. He lost his first 17 consecutive races. Potential greatness was recognized by trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), who advised Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) and his second wife Marcela (Elizabeth Banks) to purchase the horse in August 1936. In that same month, Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire) signs on as Seabiscuit's jockey. The rest is history. The title player doesn't even appear for the first forty minutes. Rather we see the sad-sack states that Smith, Howard, and Pollard are in. Smith is an aging horse trainer at the end of his career. Pollard is a talented rider with a drinking problem, plus a chip on his shoulder from being abandoned by his Depression-ruined parents . Howard, though wealthy from selling Buicks, has lost his youngest son in a road accident, and his first marriage has failed. All three could use a winner, and Seabiscuit has the requisite heart. Even a cursory reading of the historical record concerning Seabiscuit reveals that this film, based on a book by Laura Hillenbrand, selectively edits the facts, but without interjecting any untruths. And it retains the essence of the story. It's interesting to note, however, that the showdown between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, implied in the movie as the culmination of a rivalry of words between Howard and War Admiral's owner Sam Riddle, and as the only scheduled race including the two thoroughbreds, is misleading. In fact, their November 1, 1938 face-off at Pimlico was the fourth scheduled match-up. Howard scratched Seabiscuit from two of the previous because of muddy tracks, and Riddle scratched his horse from the third. And these weren't the only two occasions when Howard yanked Seabiscuit because of overly wet courses. Also, at the film's conclusion before the credits rolled, I was surprised to see no epilog of what happened to the main characters after Seabiscuit's last thrilling triumph in March 1940. (Seabiscuit retired in April of 1940, and died at a relatively young age in 1947. Howard died in 1950, Smith in 1957, and Pollard in 1981.) Bridges, Cooper and Maguire are all exemplary in their respective roles, although perhaps no one of them will be able to fend off challengers for an Oscar in a Best Actor category as the field gallops down to the December 31 finish. Most watchable is William H. Macy as the frenetic sports announcer, Tick Tock McGlaughlin. I left the theater wishing he'd had more screen time. Banks is pretty and adequate as Marcela Howard, but her role could have been left in the editor's digital trash bin and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference to the script. SEABISCUIT could have been titled THREE GUYS AND A HORSIE. I suspect this will be the first of the 2003 films considered for Best Picture, even if only for sentimental reasons. Americans have always loved a come-from-behind winner, and this movie has four. And the fact that one of them is that icon of the Old West, a horse, won't hurt. SEABISCUIT is a heart-warming, bigger-than-life, heroic epic. It almost makes me want to run over to nearby Santa Anita Racetrack and blow the mortgage money at the two-dollar betting window.
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Summary: Uplifting
Review: I truly enjoyed this film and plan to see it again. I found it to be generally uplifting and positive as well as incredibly well acted. I felt the newsclips and narration were distracting and found myself wishing they had been left on the cutting room floor. But once the backround had been laid and the horse was introduced the movie just drew me right in. If you're looking for action, this is probably not the film for you. It's more of a quiet thoughtful film packed full of messages about love and second chances. However there are some negatives. On the moral side Red Pollard is seen drunk or drinking in several scenes and this is treated as normal and acceptable behavior. He hires a prostitute early in the film and although you never see anything it's clear what they intend to do. He keeps his half-blindness a secret knowing that it's actually illegal for him to be riding in that condition. He lies to get the job riding Seabiscuit. I also found it rather questionable for Red Pollards parents to abandon their 15 year old child at a makeshift racetrack simply because they feel he has 'a gift'. It is made clear, though, that his father is desperate and is selflessly trying to give his son a chance for survival. On the physical side you see Red Pollard vomiting to keep his weight down, loosing a boxing match, and getting injured by a horse. Charles Howard's young son dies in a car accident. These scenes were very difficult for me to sit through, but they weren't very graphic and passed quickly. They were mild compared to what you normally see in movies today. I would highly recommend this movie to adults who enjoy a thoughtful and uplifting story and can overlook some mild violence and immorality.
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