A Real Champion

Rating: 8/10 (13 January 2004)

Some of the most enjoyable movies are the ones that can please a crowd. `Seabiscuit' is most certainly that. Even in the face of it's own fumbling clichés and pace the film is able to rise to the occasion, much like the very horse himself.
Now, I don't know the story or have read the book by Laura Hillenbrand from which it was adapted. I don't know how much of it is true or Hollywood exaggeration but as a film, standing on it's own, it works extremely well. At the core of `Seabiscuit' is the down and out tale of adversity we have seen a hundred times before but it's the characters themselves and writer/director Garry Ross's approach on the subject matter that keeps it from going stale. As a screenwriter this is only Ross's second directorial picture following `Pleasantville', and he is definitely finding his knack for the medium.
And so, with a film like this it becomes a vehicle for human drama. Casting is exceptional. To begin with we are introduced one by one, with narration by David McCullough, the three major players and their stories. Jeff Bridges as the down and out auto tycoon Charles Howard, Tobey Maguire as the homeless, uncharacteristic, half-blind jockey Red Pollard, and lastly Chris Cooper as the archaic horse trainer Tom Smith. Together they share a common thread. All have been hit hard during America's Great Depression and all get there mangled sprits restored by a lazy horse that can't ride straight, sleeps all day and loves to eat.
`Seabiscuit' is just another sappy feel good movie but darn it, I felt good having seen it. In a similar approach to this year's `Finding Nemo' this movie is light entertainment that seems to hit all the right buttons. In the end it's so upbeat that you let the maudlin bits slide. It's not perfect (far from it) but it's a reachable movie for audiences to enjoy without worry. It's a film of strong working parts. There is not one aspect that carries it alone, not acting, directing, or editing. It's the whole shebang. And you definitely get enough bang for your buck as this champion races on for a lengthy 2 ½ hour running time. Yes, it can get a little sluggish during the middle but don't let this obstacle keep you from going because it's a sure triumph when you reach the end.
Score - 4 out of 5