Best Movie of the Year

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2003)

I am a movie cynic but I found this movie to be the best of the year. It told the story of Seabiscuit extremely well. The only shortcoming of this movie was the overuse of vulgarities which were very uncommon in the 1930's For one who grew up during the depression the movie took time to show how brutal the depression was. And there were many poignant moments. One scene was of a group of people standing around a car listening to the race on the car radio. It was common in the late thirties for that to happen. One example I remember were the Joe Louis fights. Rarely have I seen a movie that so realistically depicted both the scenery and the moods of the times. One exception was the scenes taken in the Los Angeles Union Station. In the background was a lighted sign. That sign is in the present Union Station but it was not in the Station during the 1930's and 1940's.
Viewers who did not grow up in the Great Depression might not appreciate this movie as much as they should and Seabiscuit, the horse, was a great symbol to the common person in the US in those days and the movie brings this out quite well.
The acting while not spectacular, was more than adequate. If this movie had been cleaned up, it would be a great story for children as well as adults but unfortunately it wasn't. But still it is a great story well told and well photographed.