Predictable but hugely entertaining.

Rating: 9/10 (6 January 2004)

I use the term predictable above, as you'll soon see, in the most respectable and positive way, of course. Seabiscuit is a film based on a novel and is a true story. You know pretty much how the movie is going to end, if only simply because of the fact that it is a story about which a book was published AND a major motion picture was made. That being said, it's not too hard to hypothesize about what the ending will be like, but along the way the film takes you on a wonderful journey through the hardships suffered by a particular family and especially a particular boy during the Great Depression.
(spoilers) I also have to admit that there were times during the last quarter of the film that I was not sure that my initial theory of a happy, underdog ending was in store for me, especially having seen and been immensely impressed by films like Rocky and Mystery, Alaska. In a film like Seabiscuit, a huge success is not necessary in the final race for the film to succeed. In some ways I actually think it might have been better had Seabiscuit lost the final battle. And by the way, I don't even know for sure that I should be required to mention `spoilers' above, given that the very tagline of the film gives away the ending. But just so you know, there are much more substantial spoilers to follow, so if you haven't seen the movie you might want to stop reading my review now (but make sure to come back and read the rest after you see the whole movie!).
Seabiscuit is obviously the underdog from the beginning. He's too small, he has completely the wrong temperament, he would rather lounge for hours in the sun in the afternoon than run around a track, and probably the worst of all, his jockey (although pretty much a lifelong jockey) is too tall, too heavy, and in a lot of ways, also has completely the wrong temperament. But these things, as the movie progresses, are the things that I think the film should be more concerned with correcting, instead of having such a heavy emphasis on winning that last rematch.
Having Seabiscuit win the final race is certainly one of those big jump-out-of-your-seat-cheering events, but consider how the film's message would have been different had he lost. Seabiscuit had already lost to War Admiral and his arrogant owner once, which only served to intensify the desire to beat him. Much publicity is made of their desire for a rematch, which is ultimately granted, although entirely on the conditions and to the advantage of War Admiral and his jerk of an owner.
Seabiscuit and the rest of the team arrive, and there are thousands upon thousands of people there to watch the race, plus countless more listening to this immense race over the radio, even though Seabiscuit and War Admiral are the only two horses racing. The tension is increased by the fact that Red Pollard (played by Tobey Maguire with charming red hair) has a leg that was broken in 11 or 12 places and is barely holding together (although aided with a home-made leather brace, which must have provided plenty of support!). It is the reason that he is barely able to get permission from his manager (intent on canceling the race because a fall could mean he would never walk again) and his doctor (visibly impressed by the home-made brace) to ride Seabiscuit in the race.
Seabiscuit wins, of course. You know that, otherwise the tagline wouldn't be talking about a long shot becoming a legend. So it's a true story, which provides the main reason for not ending with a loss, I just think it's interesting to consider how the film would have been different had it not ended with a huge victory.
First of all, the reason that Seabiscuit was so immensely popular and managed to completely fill up the stadiums was because the movie takes place during the Depression and symbolizes the working man, beaten down but, as Seabiscuit symbolically states, not defeated. Millions look to Seabiscuit for inspiration and hope, so his victory/loss has a huge effect on the will of all of these people, many of whom have lost everything because of the Depression, to go out there and actively seek to get back their lives and livelihood.
But to me, Seabiscuit winning the last race is not pivotal as to whether people would have derived hope from his success story, which I suppose is a testament to the meaning of the Seabiscuit story itself. The most important thing is that Seabiscuit and his team put themselves out there at great risk in order to make an achievement, and winning or losing that last race is, ironically enough, not the determining factor as to whether or not they achieved what they set out for. It actually runs the risk of having the opposite effect should someone strive for success and fail. On the other hand, given the ultimate success in the final race, Seabiscuit encourages people not to give up. As Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) says, you don't just lay down because of a defeat, you have to keep fighting.
But like I mentioned earlier, I think that the main goal for them all was to overcome the adversities operating against Seabiscuit and Red, and they did that with huge success. I obviously have never had an experience even close to what people suffered during the Great Depression, but I think that Seabiscuit and his team setting out to overcome their own challenges would be enough to inspire people to do the same about their own lives. But I digress. This is, after all a true story.
So Seabiscuit is a huge success, but there were certain things about the victory that I think were contrived and overdone. I could have done without the conversations out there on the track, for example, I just think that riding a horse going that fast and that close to other horses would simply not be an atmosphere conducive to conversation, both because of noise and the demand on the jockeys' concentration. The final `See you later' was a little too cocky and cheesy, too, illustrating that all of the tension that the audience had been experiencing through this whole race was fake because Seabiscuit was only going at maybe 60% until that last corner. And I don't like false tension.
But Seabiscuit as a whole is a fantastic film, historically accurate and with a definite purpose, whose success and meaningful application to modern society as well as that of the 1930s is a testament to the relevance of the story. Jeff Bridges delivers yet another wonderful performance (illustrating his adaptability, since he was also fantastic in his performance of The Dude), as does Chris Cooper (who, I think, is one of the finest actors working today) as Seabiscuit's trainer. Tobey Maguire captures the heart of Red Pollard, and William H. Macy, another of the finest actors working today, provides wonderfully appropriate comic relief as the breathless Tick Tock McGlaughlin, a radio host who shouts his commentary along with a startling array of strange sound effects, the occasional meaninglessness of which suggest their main purpose of gleeful effect rather than to further illustrate the meaning of anything he's talking about at any particular time.
Set against the background of one of the milestones in American history, Seabiscuit is a smashing presentation of a true story that inspired the downtrodden of the time and also has the capacity of inspiring the downtrodden of today, as well as the affluent, who might be able to stand to display a little bit less heartlessness and arrogance. But rather than speaking against mean-spirited and self-righteous people like War Admiral's wealthy owner, the movie speaks positively to people looking for not only some great entertainment, but some inspiration as well, whatever their founding needs for it might be.