A bit dry, but still a decent feel good drama.

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2004)

Rating: ** 1/2 out of ****
Seabiscuit is the epitome of the kind of film the Oscars generally award: it's packed with respected and talented actors, it's an underdog story, and it's a "biopic" of sorts. But in this day and age, it apparently takes a little more oomph than this kind of film has to take home the best picture statuette (this was easily the least critically acclaimed of all the films nominated for best picture in 2003).
But it's also those same elements that make Seabiscuit an appealing film, one that's generally easy to enjoy and appreciate. The film tells the story of three men in the 1930s Depression-era whose lives merge after they've been beset by tragedy and heartbreak. Self-made millionaire Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) takes an interest in horse racing and hires Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) as the trainer. Smith is a tad old, but it's the horse and jockey that spectators question. Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire) is too tall and the horse, Seabiscuit, is too small, but Smith sees the same fighting spirit in both of them and sets out to make winners of this unlikely pairing.
And since this is clearly the story of underdogs who give their all, there's nary a single moment in this film that's not predictable or even slightly manipulative in one fashion or another. In a less well-crafted and well-acted film, such blatant incursions would have been unforgivable, but the film succeeds admirably for the majority of its running time.
I still have a number of issues with the film, namely in its opening 1/3, which sets up the lives of our protagonists. Pollard's, in particular, is probably given too much extraneous focus; early scenes with his parents, obviously meant to tug the heart, just don't have that effect because we don't know these people. Worse yet, there's no emotional payoff, when the parents say "We'll be back" but we ultimately end up never hearing from them again, I wondered why writer/director Gary Ross went to the trouble of even including his parents in the picture (the later quotes from famous works of literature that Pollard recites from his childhood adds absolutely nothing to the picture).
In comparison, the film's more interesting characters, Charles Howard and especially Tom Smith, are given the short shrift, particularly Smith, whose brief set up mostly consists of him riding and lassoing horses. Unsurprisingly, because they've got more interesting (in quality, certainly not in quantity) material to work with, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper deliver far superior performances over Tobey Maguire. It's a bit unfair to compare Maguire to two highly experienced pros, but in this day and age when child actors can hold their own among the older crowd (as Max Pirkis amazingly did in Master and Commander), I expect more from even a dullard like Maguire.
The training scenes are among the film's most amusing, best of all is a hilarious off-screen encounter between Seabiscuit (the horse) and a goat. The payoff is predictable, but undeniably priceless. The film's horse races are directed with a nice sense of energy and are sometimes a little suspenseful even when the outcome is never in doubt. Marring such scenes are the obvious moments when camera angles are used to obscure the fact that a stunt double is being used in the more dangerous moments instead of Maguire.
The film slowly stumbles in its final act, which drags interminably until we reach the admittedly rousing and triumphant finish, which wisely concludes before the proceedings get sentimental. This is not the masterpiece the studio would like you to believe and it lacks much of the passion that the best underdog stories have, but it's still a decent accomplishment that displays strong efforts from almost all involved.