Movies

An uplifting, heartwarming movie...inspires one to dream and dream big. It's a must see, especially for the lovers of horses. Rivals the Horse Whisperer as my favorite movie revolving around horses. Kurt Russell is great, as always. Dakota Fanning is a very special young actress, perhaps a greater talent at her age than Drew Barrymore. Kris Kristofferson play his usual gritty character. And last but not least, it's great to see Elisabeth Shue on the silver screen again. She is a natural beauty and a great actress. The movie is very timely in that it involves the Breeder's Cup, which, at the time of this writing, is coming up this weekend. It's a movie for all ages, and if it comes out on DVD before Christmas, it'll make a wonderful gift.

I was lucky enough to be able to preview this film on October 6, in Greenville, SC with my wife. While I had seen the previews several months ago for this film and thought it looked pretty good, I went in thinking it would be just another "chick flick". I was wrong. The story-telling was superb and very rarely dragged along, holding the attention well (I never looked at my watch). The acting was very good from all involved and Dakota is cute as ever. The drama was riveting without being over done or heavy-handed. All in all this film is a winner (no puns intended) and great for people of all ages (and genders).

My wife loves horses, so it was inevitable this movie would eventually come home with her from the rental place. She insisted I watch it, and I am glad she did. The story is simple and predictable, but still fun and very entertaining. Kurt Russell does a great job of making horse trainer and father Ben Crane real and believable, and Dakota Fanning is incredible. The kid must have been born in a theater. Add Elizabeth Shue as the mom, Kris Kristofferson as the grand-dad, and David Morse as the bad guy and you have a pretty impressive cast for a family oriented film. If I have a grand-daughter some day, I will get this DVD and watch it again with her.