A professional feel-good true story that is entertaining despite lacking depth

Rating: Null/10 (4 January 2007)

The country is booming and the future looks bright until, that is, the depression hits and near everyone finds their fortunes change for the worse. Rich families struggle to stay rich while the working men find themselves defining "home" in an entirely different way than they once did. Charles Howard loses his son in the one of the very machines that he made his fortune selling and loses his way until he meets a new woman. The depression forces Red Pollard's family to let him stay with a horse-owning family so that he has a shot at a better life, while former horse trainer Tom Smith takes to riding the box carts looking for work. These three men cross paths years later when Howard decides to get into horses thanks to the influence of his new wife. Together they take on their undersized horse and over-sized jockey to go against the odds against the background of a country trying to get back on its feet.
Despite being a best picture contender of a few years ago I never got round to seeing this film as it didn't really appeal to me but, screened as it was in the middle of the afternoon during Christmas it made for more of a proposition. The opening credits reveal how the telling is going to go as it all starts with a slightly sentimental approach of history around the depression. This continues with a rather sanitised view of history that focuses on the story surrounding this famous horse. The story is a simplified but effect one of "losers" overcoming the odds in an allegory for the American spirit and the country coming out of the Depression. This is a big aim and of course aspects suffer as a result of it trying to be out so much. The emotions never get deeper than the superficial and sweeping but the film is glossy and professional enough to get away with this and produce a feel-good film with its hooves in a true story.
The casting matches this by being impressive as professionals even if nobody really excels in their performance. Maguire is a good lead even if his character doesn't give him a huge amount to work with at times. Bridges and Cooper are better simply because they have stronger characters. All three of them are best in the moments where they get to look into the middle distance with a sense of pride while the music swells  it is that type of movie and they all work to that well enough. Support is mostly good but they are all doing the same. Ross writes and directs well; he can't find the depth in any part of it but the film looks great and is professional and slick  just what the material required.
Not a great film then but an unsurprising nominee for best picture at the Oscars. It does raise the spirits and it works really well at the superficial level with a great sweep to it helping to compensate for the lack of depth within the story and characters.