But if you can sit still for two and a half hours infront of a good sized screen, the movie should pay off, even on video. I couldn't wrap my head around the concrete landscape of downtown San Francisco. Adapted from Nicholas Evans' popular novel about a homeopathic, horse-healing sage who repairs the damaged psyches of a teenage girl and her beloved steed after a horrific riding accident, this is a syrupy chick flick of romance and homespun philosophy. But as syrupy chick flicks go, it ain't bad. The accident as filmed is a visceral experience that immediately bonds the audience to the horse and the girl, both of whom are badly injured.
Grace looses a leg and is plunged into a deep blue funk.
Pilgrim is a wreck physically and violently spooked besides, and his veterinarian recommends he be put down. Convinced that this man can rehabilitate Pilgrim, she packs up her daughter, a horse trailer and her Range Rover and drives to the Big Sky State to enlist Booker's help. Late in the film, a romance forms between Booker and Annie, who is grappling with strong feelings of her own about sacrificing her career to do everything she can for her affected daughter. Redford directs this film with a loving, knowledgeable hand, which makes the unnecessary length somewhat of a trifle. His camera stares deeply into the eyes of his characters, and none more so than the horse, who has as much screen time as any of the humans while Booker works his calm magic on the disturbed creature.