Horse Sense

**Horse Sense** is a Disney Channel Original Movie that was released on November 20, 1999.

The film was written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes, and directed by Greg Beeman.

## Plot

Michael Woods is a lazy, preppy 20-year-old living off his parents' wealth in Los Angeles, while struggling through college classes and dating a spoiled heiress named Gina, whom his family dislikes. Michael learns that his 11-year-old cousin Tommy Biggs, whom he has not seen since a family reunion several years earlier, will soon be arriving from Montana to visit. Michael casts Tommy aside during his visit, prioritising his social life and the demands of his girlfriend over his guest.

On Tommy's last day in California, the family housekeeper Arlene makes Michael aware of his mistreatment toward Tommy and that she will tell Glenn and Jacy everything. Michael decides to take Tommy to Disneyland to make up for it. However, en route to the theme park, Michael receives a phone call from Gina pleading for him to meet her at a racetrack so she can introduce him to her father. Michael capitulates and leaves Tommy at an indoor kiddie park, then drives to the track for a brief visit. At the race track, Michael charms Gina's father over the course of a couple hours. When Michael realises how late it is, he hurries back to pick up Tommy and accidentally collides his Porsche Boxster with another vehicle. Afterwards upon arriving at the kiddie park, Michael learns Arlene had picked up Tommy several hours earlier. When he comes home, Tommy angrily confronts him about this. Arlene mentions that she is disappointed in him for how he treated his cousin. They don't tell his parents about it and Michael lies that he got the dent in his car from a hit-and-run.

After Tommy returns to Montana and during dinner, Jacy mentions that she got a call from Michael's aunt, Jules, who told her that Tommy didn't get to do much of anything. In turn, she mentions that they are very disappointed in him. Glenn confronts Michael and mentions that Arlene has told him everything. He demands that Michael explains his reasons for him leaving Tommy at an indoor kiddie park, rather than cancel his plans with Gina. He claims that if he cancelled on her in meeting her father and took Tommy to Disneyland, she threatened to break up with him. Glenn tells Michael off that was no excuse since Tommy was family and he should've known better. His problems become worse when the police officers come over to the house and inform his parents of the accident between him and Deidre White. This truth further enrages both Glenn and Jacy because earlier Michael claimed he was in a hit-and-run as he was leaving the horse track. The police mentions that while he did the right thing to get Deidre's information and give out his own, she wrote his license plate number on a piece of paper, which they used to track him back to the house. Now more irritated by his selfish behaviour, Glenn decrees that in order for Michael to start acting like an adult and learn responsibility, he needs to go to Montana to work on the Biggs ranch for a month. Michael refuses to go there and tries to negotiate his way out of that trip. However, Glenn makes it clear that it's not negotiable anymore. He points out that he and Jacy are fed up with Michael's behaviour. Glenn mentions that if they get a negative telephone call from the Biggs regarding Michael, they intend to cancel his upcoming trip with Gina to the French Riviera. Michael arrives at the ranch, where he meets Jules' ranch hands, Twister and Mule, as well as Tommy.

Michael is put to work early the next morning, although every task he is assigned by Tommy is deliberately sabotaged to make his labour harder, as revenge for his earlier neglect. One example is being ordered to load wood onto a ramshackle truck, only for Mule to laugh he has not driven it for years and points out a newer pickup truck. Michael eventually confronts Tommy regarding his behaviour, and reveals that he only got along with him at their family reunion years ago because they were the only children at the event. No longer caring if his parents cancel his trip to the French Riviera with Gina, Michael demands Tommy to leave him alone and let him go through the month in peace. He dejectedly agrees and believes that his cousin truly doesn't care for him. The next morning and angered over hearing about Michael's mistreatment over Tommy, Twister reprimands him for his lazy and entitled behaviour. He points out that his family are grateful to do hard work and appreciate what they have. Twister mentions that he has seen how much Michael hardly appreciates the life he has and has overheard half of his phone conversations with his girlfriend, complaining about the work on the ranch. During their discussion, he is surprised to learn that the Biggs are suffering financial problems and wonders aloud why no one in his family told him this. Twister reveals that they felt like Michael doesn't care about anyone except himself and his snooty girlfriend. Twister ends the conversation by telling him off to re-examine his attitude.

After Twister's confrontation, Michael realises how selfish he has been and begins adapting to life on the ranch. He mends his relationship with Tommy, who reveals his father was terminally ill and his medical bills combined with the loss of labour from his death snowballed into financial woes. Michael expresses remorse over not spending time with Tommy more when he learns why Jules really sent him to L.A. and feels worse in not putting his social life on hold. Later, Michael is upset when Jules tells him that the ranch will be foreclosed soon because her mortgage is past due. The bank plans to auction the family's ranch and personal property at the end of the month.

Michael returns to Los Angeles after a month on the ranch, now a more mature man and finding his old life no longer interesting. A jumping horse scares everyone at the track, but Michael tames it remembering his lessons from Mule. Michael ends his relationship with Gina after realising that his parents were right and she is a rich snob. When Michael comes home and chastises his father for not helping the Biggs, he learns that Glenn had tried to help them out. He mentions to Michael that he offered them financial aid to keep the ranch from being foreclosed. However, Jules was too prideful to accept it to the point that not even Glenn and Jacy could get her to change her mind. Michael sells his Porsche and returns to Montana to present the money from the sale to keep the ranch operational until a permanent solution can be devised. Jules graciously rejects Michael's offer and suggests that it is time for she and Tommy to move on. Michael doesn't give up very easily.

On the day of the auction, Michael recalls a real estate class he took that taught about the concept of a land trust, which, if arranged in conjunction with the bank, would allow the Biggs to remain on the property indefinitely regardless of the debt. Michael successfully negotiates the terms with the bank. Jules agrees to let Michael continue working on the ranch and spend more time with the family. Later, Tommy and Michael finish a tree house that Tommy's father had been working on prior to his illness.

## Cast and Characters

* Joseph Lawrence as Michael Woods
* Andrew Lawrence as Tommy Biggs
* Susan Walters as Jules Biggs
* M.C. Gainey as Twister
* Leann Hunley as Jacy Woods
* Robin Thomas as Glenn Woods
* Jolie Jenkins as Gina
* Steve Reevis as Mule
* Freda Foh Shen as Arlene
* Ian Ogilvy as Miles
* Nancy Renee as Professor Mallory Baynes
* Channing Chase as Deidre White
* Mike Trachtenberg as Lou
* Dan Martin as Officer
* Holmes Osborne as Mr. Hawthorne
* Matthew Lawrence as Cowboy in Airport

## Broadcast

In the United States, Horse Sense premiered on Disney Channel on November 20, 1999. On its premiere night, the film had approximately 3.2 million viewers and was the most watched program during its timeslot. The film was watched in approximately 2,054,000 households, more than any previous Disney Channel program. Up to that point, Horse Sense was also the second highest-rated basic cable film for the month of November 1999.

## Reception

Paul Schultz of the New York Daily News wrote, "Horse Sense is none too subtle, pounding home its messages of selflessness and hard work. But it's well-acted and well-paced, and it's always good to see Hollywood point out the shallowness of Hollywood life." Lynne Heffley of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "It's predictable as all get-out, but Walters has a nicely understated strength, while brothers Andy and Joey make a likable on-screen team."

In 2012, Tara Aquino of Complex ranked the film at number 22 on the magazine's list of the 25 best Disney Channel Original Movies. In May 2016, Aubrey Page of Collider ranked each of the 99 Disney Channel Original Movies released up to that point. Page ranked Horse Sense at number 71 and wrote, "Real-life brothers Joey and Andrew Lawrence were a late-90s dream team, so spending 80 minutes watching them bond by doing various outdoors-y things like building a treehouse is an okay way to spend an afternoon."