A pearl of a movie. Seabiscuit wins!

Rating: Null/10 (22 December 2003)

I just read about 40 of the user reviews of Seabiscuit. Negative comments mentioned audience over-manipulation, poor character development, a sappy attempt for an Oscar bid, and others. There are some truths to these comments, but don't let them cause you to miss this terrific movie experience. Although the minimization of the Tom Smith character, especially during the last third of the movie, did let me down, I am sure it was an editing and time-saving measure. Rarely will we see such an uplifting and metaphoric story of two hearts. One, an underdog racehorse, and the other, a nation tested by the devastation of the Great Depression. Yes, National Velvet and Black Stallion rank as successful movies. So does Seabiscuit.
I can't help but wonder how good Pearl Harbor, another history lesson, would have been had it been written by Gary Ross. No discredit to Michael Bay. If Bay would have had a Ross script, PH would have fared much better.
Gary Ross has enough experience in this industry to make a good movie. "Big" and "Pleasantville" are holding up well over time. Although it is aimed at the masses, Seabiscuit crosses the line in first place 90% of the time.