A Triple Crown

Rating: Null/10 (30 August 2003)

Writer/director Gary Ross has made a triumphant film out of Laura Hillenbrand's beloved bestseller. Like the original author, Ross gathers the strands of his story slowly, showing how the lives of three initially unrelated people  an owner, a trainer and a jockey  converge at a single point, the racehorse phenomenon known as Seabiscuit.
Both Hillenbrand and Ross have conceived of Seabiscuit as a metaphor for his time, a beacon of hope and inspiration for a despairing, Depression-ravaged nation. He is certainly that and more for the three troubled men whose lives he touches, providing each with the opportunity to overcome immense odds, achieve some form of redemption, and put some meaning back into his life.
Given its `inspirational' subject matter, `Seabiscuit' could easily have dissolved into little more than a sappy `feel-good' movie. Luckily for us, the low-keyed approach Ross has taken towards the material purges it of sentimentality. The movie is upbeat and heartwarming, yet we rarely feel as if the film is pushing our buttons in any obviously manipulative way. Much of the credit goes to Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper and Tobey Maguire, three superb actors who know how to underplay their parts to achieve maximum effect. William H. Macy provides a wonderful comic turn as the hilariously overwrought and corny racetrack announcer who reflects the gee-whiz tone of a nation captivated by this amazing animal.
Visually, the film is superb, thanks to John Schwarztman's lovely cinematography, which imbues the bucolic 1930's setting with a kind of nostalgic glow, as well as to the handsome art direction and costume design that perfectly capture the look of the era. The horserace sequences have been masterfully staged and edited and rank with the best ever put on film.

`Seabiscuit,' clearly one of the best mainstream movies of 2003, is a true first place finisher.