Seabiscuit
Itās that rare thing when a major motion picture comes out (especially a drama) where an animal not only becomes the central character, but outright steals the movie from an esteemed lineup of actors (including two Oscar winners). The story is a true one, based upon the amazing run of a Depression era racehorse named Seabiscuit who despite being considered undersized for his sport actually managed to dominate the West Coast racetracks of the time (which were thought of as being lower end venues on the circuit) before going one on one in a match race against an actual Triple Crown winner (on his home track) in a sporting event that was so big at the time that it was broadcast nationwide and saw the little sensation with an underground following score the hugely phenomenal upset. Writer / Director Gary Ross certainly takes his time setting up the story for this 2003 film, first introducing us to the three main (human) characters, starting with owner Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) whom we see building up his fortune starting as an assembly line worker in a Ford motor plant, then running his own business as a bicycle repairman before finally using his intimate knowledge of Ford cars to not only fix blown out engines, but to fix them in such a way as to make them faster and better than they were before, making his transition to millionaire status an obvious one. Then The Great Depression hits and he does everything he can to prevent layoffs of his workers before suddenly his son dies in an accident and his (unstable to begin with) wife leaves him, rendering him devastated and heartbroken before deciding to invest in a sport which heās always loved, that being horseracing. Then thereās Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), an eccentric trainer labeled a ācrackpotā by his peers in the industry whose unconventional methods really entail the idea that horses are NOT always intended to be raced and ridden into the ground for profit but should also be accorded the same respect given to humans and serve other pleasant purposes if not considered either fit nor athletic enough to race even as he himself is a loner who thinks nothing of sleeping outside in the wilderness while showing obvious whisperer abilities and intriguing Bridges enough to hire him on to train his colts for their races. Finally there is jockey Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire), a young man who witnesses his family losing everything in The Stock Market crash of 1929 (as his father becomes an obviously broken man) whom when it is discovered that he has a natural ability to ride horses like a seasoned pro is literally signed away by his parents to work full time as a professional jockey despite the fact that he was clearly not ready emotionally to leave his family at such a tender age, filling him with anger and resentment that would carry over into his career when Bridges and Cooper spot him and sign him on to be their jockey. And eventually it is Cooper who discovers Seabiscuit himself, in actuality the grandson of the forever revered Man O War who was thought of as being so small that he would never succeed at competitive racing (and thus put money into peopleās pockets) but nonetheless is still a horse whom Cooper with his special āgiftsā sees some kind of burning desire in and thus convinces Bridges to make the purchase (at a bargain rate) before beginning training with Maguire in the saddle. It isnāt long before the colt chalks up a record tying six wins in a row, shocking the sports world and turning competitive horse racing on its ear, all enhanced by Bridgesās ability to successfully serve as a colorful media mouthpiece for all of them and drum up the image of Seabiscuit being the ultimate underdog with the heart of a lion which of course translated very well for the Depression era audiences who more than needed heroes back then whether they be for sports or otherwise (see also boxer Jim J. Braddock whose story became the film Cinderella Man). But like said the character of Seabiscuit (played by 10 different horses at various stages of filming) manages to become the most compelling one, a horse with more to prove than any of the human characters who also seemed to march to the beat of his own drummer moreso unlike many of the other strictly trained and highly regimented horses. Maguire seems to bond with him the most as he also does with Bridges, sensing the lack of unbridled greed within this millionaire who always makes good on his promises and takes very good care of his own people whether they stand to make him money or not. Eventually Maguire seems to have a place as almost being like Bridgesā surrogate son in place of the one that he lost, but it is Cooper who brings the focus to the table whenever either Bridgesā public flamboyance or Maguireās flashes of immaturity threaten to derail everything that theyāre trying to work towards. Meanwhile it is Seabiscuit who becomes the sensation that people are talking about, and he deserves it, always coming up with the bursts of speed or brilliant displays of endurance at the right time seemingly and amazingly not because he was disciplined into doing so, but rather because he somehow knows just what is at stake in these races and might possibly even WANT it more than his fellow humans do, a stunning case of self awareness in an animal that was unheard of at that time, since conventional logic would dictate that he really was too small to be competitive and would have been tossed aside had Cooper not eerily sensed whatever it was that was burning inside him and help use and develop it to everyoneās advantage. The keen eye for the sport itself as well as the era in which it takes place is evident, especially in the casting of real life Hall Of Fame jockey and multiple Triple Crown winner Gary Stevens in the major role of another legendary jockey from the 30s named George Woolf. Woolf was the guy with an already huge stature in the sport who actually replaced his injured friend Red Pollard as the jockey in the high stakes matchup between Seabiscuit and Triple Crown winner War Admiral in a race still remembered today in the annals of horseracing and Stevens (while obviously being authentic since it was like casting Michael Jordan as a basketball player) shows that he can surprisingly also act as well in the early scenes developing his friendship with Maguire. We also get Elizabeth Banks as the incredibly supportive (and much younger) second wife of Bridges who becomes like an extremely beautiful maternal figure to the whole team, and then there is William H. Macy in the corny and campy role of the old time radio sports announcer who utilizes bad puns and even worse, cheesy sound effects to punctuate everything he says. While his āstyleā might successfully replicate those types of sports journalists (right down to using his sound effects to pretend that heās āattendingā some sort of an important function) it doesnāt change the fact that with todayās discerning audiences, a little of his schtick would go a long way, but with a heavyweight like Macy in the part, unfortunately he winds up being shoved in our face just about every 10 minutes or so in order to ensure that the viewer is forced to accept him as being part of the film. In addition, while the film does admittedly contain gorgeous cinematography and sumptuous period set detail, director Ross apparently thought so too, displaying a tendency to linger on scenes a bit too long and even dragging out the final moments. But the movieās greatest purpose is for it to stand as a testimony to the dignity of animals and all living things with Cooper succinctly pointing out that you ādonāt throw a whole life away just cause heās banged up a littleā. And indeed, the emotional high point comes when Seabiscuit suffers an injury and is at risk of being euthanized for being unable to race again, only for the kind hearted owner to decide to patch him up instead and bring him home to enjoy the countryside because, well, he earned it. And while the issue of animal rights is one that is better discussed elsewhere, it still profoundly disturbs this reviewer to see animal lives continue to be treated as so easily and readily discarded whether itās for there not being enough homes for strays or for having a gorilla acting protective of a little boy who had fallen into its cage, having a shoot to kill (or euthanize at the first sign of trouble) mentality still remains a reason why weāve yet to prove just how we are the supposed dominant species on this planetā¦
9/10