Seabiscuit (**1/2)
review by Jon Waterman

Ok, we got a smaller than average horse, a taller than average jockey (with a blind eye), a trainer that’s practically laughed at by every professional stable, an owner that shunned horses because he sold cars until he bought this short animal to race, and an overly long movie to put it all in. Who’s ready for over-hyped drama?

In order to further drag the movie along, the first act is accompanied by PBS style narration (by documentary narrator David McCullough). Honestly, I didn’t mind it all that much. The narration, accompanied by pictures from the depression-era (when the film takes place), places the film in a greater context. To truly understand the people and events that follow, you must first know about the time period in which they live. It makes the story more amazing. However, once the documentary style is gone, it does not make the story any more interesting to watch.

Seabiscuit’s actual life story may be quite involved and rather lengthy, but the film story does not have to translate every single moment to the screen. I’d say the movie runs a couple extra furlongs. For instance, when the Seabiscuit crew tries to lure War Admiral into a one-on-one race, I felt the whole back and forth of it all could have been reduced significantly. Some of the sequences that took ten minutes could just as easily have been conveyed through with as little as a montage. This is what can happen when the director also writes (Gary Ross “Pleasantville,” based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand). Sometimes one becomes so enamored with the story that they sacrifice better storytelling in order to keep certain scenes intact. One problem I had with the visuals of the movie involves the blind eye of the jockey. In order to show us that he has a blind eye, the view is blocked on one side of the screen. I’m not blind, but I don’t think that vision works that way. Why not do a “Wayne’s World” type of trick and show him opening and closing each eye. That would be much easier and more believable. The direction and storytelling all work pretty well, but I expected a faster pace, especially when the film involves racing.

There’s a lot of talent in the cast to keep your interest anyway: Jeff Bridges as the owner, Charles Howard; Tobey Maguire as Red Pollard, the jockey; and Gary Hacker doing the horse vocals. Bridges’ character has a wife, but you’d hardly know it because she rarely talks. She’s in practically every scene, yet hardly opens her mouth. Alright…do whatever. Anyways, the real people to watch are William H. Macy as the hilarious radio announcer, Tick Tock McGlaughlin and Chris Cooper who really earns his Oscar here as the trainer, Tom Smith. Also worth mention is Randy Newman’s score. It moves with a grace and quickness that the film should have adopted.

Most people will love this movie. It’s heartwarming, inspiring, and ultra sappy. I was at a show with only a few people and a couple of them clapped on two separate occasions. Bigger crowds would most likely carry more energy. I, however, found it to be a little bit too over-the-top (there were too many parallels between Red and his horse – whether they were all true or not), slightly boring and would have preferred to see a documentary rather than a fictional film.

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