Stale Biscuit

Rating: 5/10 (12 January 2004)

I saw this movie and was extremely disappointed. Seabiscuit is a fantastic story, and as I was reading the book I imagined the movie the whole way through. Unfortunately, the movie did not reach expectations. Nowhere in the entire film was it evident we were in depressed times, or, at least, clear of the hardships people were facing. I felt detail was glossed over in favor of generic events that could have happened to any person or animal at any time. The stakes were too low in this movie. They showed Red Pollard vomiting to try and make weight, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Jockeys went through a lot worse at that time to get their weight down. I thought performances were decent, and Chris Cooper stole the screen as Tom Smith. Other than that, if you would like to see this movie, I recommend that you view Rudy or Hoosiers instead. At least Rudy has a great soundtrack and Hoosiers has Gene Hackman. Or just read the book.