The Little Horse That Could

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2003)

This is the condensed true story of the legendary racehorse, Seabiscuit. As most films based on real events things are left out for reasons of length and to make a smoother flow. This is no exception. However, the things left out here are not crucial to understanding the story. The vents and people depicted were real enough. The makers of this film did a wonderful job of bringing this story to the screen. The small town audience I watched the film with applauded at the end. That's rare enough.
The first thing that struck me watching the film as the story built was the wonderful period look of the film. High praise to the art/set designers/directors, costume designer and cinematographer. It is a wonderful film just to watch. I even liked the locations. I would love to know which of the locations listed had such beautiful fall colors that Pollard and the Biscuit rode through in the country-side. That was wonderfully beautiful.
The actors were all in great form too. Tobey Maguire as Red Pollard gave a great standout performance as the often beaten, broken and tormented man who rode Seabiscuit to stunning victory so many times. A fun part went to real jockey Gary Stevens who has won the Kentucky Derby several times and is one of America's great living jockeys; a hall of famer. Who knew he could act? He did a great job playing George Woolf, Pollard's friend and mentor. 3 cheers for casting for getting him for this. Jeff Bridges did a wonderful job as the horse's owner Charles Howard. He was near-perfect here. I think this is the best performance I've seen him in. Michael Angarano did a wonderful but short turn as the young Pollard, I hope we see more of this fine young actor in the future. He's done a fair amount of television but this clearly showed him in a much more favorable light. Elizabeth Banks was very enjoyable as the 2nd, and more important Mrs. Howard. She has talent and should be one new actress we see more of too. Finally we have the wonderful talent of Chris Cooper as the trainer Tom Smith. His was a masterful performance; bringing warmth and humanity to a character of few words; no small achievement. It was teriffic to see him on screen as he molded the emotions of this complex man. He seems to get better with each new movie. His is clearly the standout dramatic performance here, with Maguire and Bridges tied for a close second. The movie was nearly stolen by the outrageous and comical character played by Bill Macy; "Tick Tock McGlaughlin". He was more than teriffic, maybe an Oscar nominee for this one. Drama it wasn't, but brother, was it ever great.
I could list some faults with the film; like things it left out, or which parts of the story they dwelt on, or the things missing such as facts that the real Howard raced more than one horse and employed more than one jockey, but none of that would really add anything if they had been included. This was story telling pared down to it's most basic element and masterfully done. Bravo to all involved and thanks from me for making it worth the price of admission. I'll remember this film for a long, long time.