Wow

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2004)

This film came highly recommended to me and it didn't disappoint. At the very beginning of the film, there is nothing about horses and I began to wonder when the horses would come into play. Eventually, of course, they did. And once they did, this film becomes positively engrossing! Cast, acted and shot perfectly, this film tells the old story of the underdog in triumph at the same time that the nation was on its knees. The great depression figures prominently and is certainly a character in this film in and of itself. This is a story not of just a horse, but of the people who own, love and race this horse, from the owners to the stable hands, the trainer and the jockeys. But it's also the story of how this (unlikely) little horse and it's (unlikely) huge jockey brought hope to the US citizens in their time of great need. Jeff Bridges as Seabiscuit's owner and Tobey Maguire as the main jockey both shine in this film. But I believe the best performance was turned in by Chris Cooper as the eccentric trainer Tom Smith. Cooper is doing his best work to date recently and he really does a great job in this film.