i can see WHY it got an Oscar Nomination, although I'm unsure if it's worthy

Rating: Null/10 (24 February 2004)

SPOILERS
First things first, I'm not an animal person. As a result of years of limiting myself to goldfish for pets, I'm not the best person to talk to about species on this planet other than humanity itself. As a result of this, when "Seabiscuit" was at the cinema, I made jokes about horses breaking legs & being turned into steaks to a friend of mine who adores the animals. Looking back now after watching the film on DVD, I regret it all. Whilst this film might not be the ode to joy that so many others have stated, it's still a moving, passionate film about the underdog (underhorse? doesn't quite work, sounds like some sort of household appliance) fighting back.
In "Seabiscuit", we are introduced to Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), a man who makes his millions from the latest craze of automobiles, but who suffers a life destroying incident as a result of these same contraptions. His life begins to collapse, yet just before it folds in on itself, he rediscovers a love for horses. Hiring Tom Smith (played with the expected high standards of Chris Cooper) to train "Seabiscuit" and Johnny "Red" Pollard (played with a truthfully surprisingly good performance by Tobey Maguire) to ride it. The four (three men and a little horsey perhaps?) bond and unite as this true story unfolds and the American people, coping with the Depression, begin to see this horse as inspiration in a world of misery.
So what's right with this film? Well for one thing it really is quite inspiring. It reminds us that anything is possible if you work hard enough and it drags us all out on a limb and makes us smile.
Technically as well it is a superb film. Direction, sound, cinematography, set design, all features range from above average to excellent.
Ultimately though, I do have one flaw with "Seabiscuit". It is perhaps slightly too long. Whilst unsure of the length, there are times in this movie which I found to drag considerably and which were dull. It's a shame as whilst I can appreciate these scenes for why they were there, they did have a negative affect on the overall state of the film.
Despite the one criticism however, I can see why the Academy gave "Seabiscuit" an Oscar Nomination for Best Film. Whilst it won't win, because with four days or so until the big day, most bookmakers have understandably ended all bet taking because of the ridiculous ammounts of people putting money on "The Lord Of The Rings", "Seabiscuit" is a film which inspires and reflects the true American spirit of success.
So, to summarise, "Seabiscuit" is not a film to be avoided by those people who don't like the idea of a horseracing film. This film is one which everyone should watch, simply to give themselves a good feeling at the end and sense of pride. It is not hard to see the Academy's decision to reward this film, but truthfully, I question it's eligibility.