Seabiscuit places

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2003)

I can't remember a time when I was rooting so hard for a movie before I saw it although The Hulk comes pretty close.I saw Secretariat run four times in the flesh and ever since I've been a big fan of horse racing and have been discouraged by its gradual descent into the shadowy back barns of our sport culture. Laure Hillenbrand's great book helped and I naively thought this movie might spark a racing resurgence in the shadow of double crown winning underdog Funny Cide and his upcoming duel at Saratoga with Empire Maker.
I took my daughter Mary and her friend Ava to the film with me. My daughter's going into seventh grade.. she does a lot of instant messaging and game boy play. She's a sensitive, smart, cool kid but I've never heard her express the slightest interest in horses.
Ava, Mary and I watched the movie intently, almost reverently as the irresistible story of determination, courage, optimism and open mindedness flickered on the screen. The picture was in crytal clear focus, each frame lovingly composed every actor perfoming with earnest, artistic intensity. I enjoyed every minute of the film but in the end left the theatre feeling somehow disappointed. Seabiscuit suffers the fate of all films taken from great books, particularly books based on great sporting phenomena.....it's nowhere near as exciting as the real thing and every attempt to ratchet up the heart and excitement of the film begins to border on pathos and schmaltz which Seabuiscuit avoids by a nose.
True I had tears in my eyes a couple of times and yes I applauded at the end of the film like about twenty other audience members in an audience of about seventy five on a Friday matinee.
Afterward, I asked Mary if she had any interest in going to the race track to see some real thoroughbreds run...she said "I guess so Dad" and went back to her game boy as I drove home feeling the kind of vague disappointment that a nine film engenders when I want and expect a ten.