Overrated and overhyped

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

As a long time horse racing fan and a former horse loving little girl, this movie had to go on my must see list. I would definitely recommend it for all families - and the adults may be surprised how much they enjoy it also. There is one scary scene for some young kids when the filly breaks down early in the movie - but this scene is part of the commercials that already have been on TV, so it should not be too much of a shock. As a racing fan, I found a few points that stretched credibility, but this is a "dream" after all, and they do point out that putting a filly or mare in the Breeder's Cup Classic has hardly ever been done, much less expecting she can win enough of the purse to justify the high entry fee needed. Even Azeri, who was a horse of the year, ran 5th when she took on male horses in the Classic. Sonador could have run in the Breeder's Cup Distaff instead, paid less for the entry fees, and still have astounded everyone with a win (when Mariah's Storm, the "inspired by" horse ran in the Breeder's Cup Distaff after her injury she did not win). Over all the movie does a pretty good job of representing the factual background (children can't generally be licensed as race horse owners, but the plot certainly works much better this way!).I do think that if they are going to make "Inspired by a true story" part of the title, they should have provided information about this some where - perhaps as a post script at the end - but they do not. You have to find interviews with the screen writer to learn that it was inspired by Mariah's Storm who broke her leg as a 2 year old when she was expected to be a favorite in the 1993 Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies, but later returned to racing and won several graded stakes races. She has gone on to be the dam of several stakes winners, including Giants Causeway, who is one of the studs they admire at Ashmore Stud when looking for a horse to breed Sonadore to. Mariah's Storm is 14 years old now and is still having babies. I suspect that on their trip to the breeding farm we may be seeing the actual retired race horses, as the studs shown (Fusaichi Pegasus, Giant's Causeway, Johannesburg, Grand Slam) are all actually owned by Coolmore Lexington (formerly Ashmore Stud) in Kentucky. While inspired by Mariah's Storm, the movie is not really based on her. In fact, at one point, the characters talk about Mariah's Storm, when saying it may be possible for Sonador to race again after her broken leg, just like Mariah's Storm had. Grand Slam (the horse they considered breeding Sonador to) also made a comeback from an injury he suffered running in the 1997 Breeder's Cup Juvenile.

I saw this movie as I had seen a good review from IMDb itself....moreover I was compelled to see this film as Dakota Fanning was in this movie........even though Kurt Russell was in this movie..........I expected it to be her movie and it was..........She is an amazing talent whom we had seen in I am sam,Hide and seek,war of the worlds,push,winged creatures............without much effort she delivers the beautiful performances and it makes me wonder..............The story has inspired me and has made me realise that to achieve anything we must believe.............even when odds are against us..............this film brings out true value of relationship and will to uphold the most thing in which you believe.................

Let me start off by saying that i wasn't totally disappointed with this movie. I'm a big fan of thoroughbred movies (i liked Seabiscuit and Ruffian)i don't know maybe it's because i'm an animal lover. But I will say that a lot of the scenes were very predictable (horse gets injured old trainer/veterinarian offers to nurse her back to health owner is your typical a****** bad guys are Arabian sheiks who knows how they got rich). The scenery and racing scenes were beautiful. The music mediocre only. The relationship between father and daughter comes of as more of a father son relationship. I will say that i don't like Dakota Fanning especially after War of the worlds. She acts beyond her years in this film, like an urban teen/young adult instead of 10 year old girl. Her feeding the horse Popsicles every night was stupid. And lastly anyone should know that a horse falling on its neck like that would cause more damage than just a broken leg. I won't give away the ending but all in all just a mediocre film.

What's wrong with the movie industry? Just how many films has it made where a poor (of course) horse-trainer gets a lame (of course) horse from a 'big bad'(of course) dishonest capitalist, brings it altruistically (of course) back to health, races it against the rich man's horse (of course), starts the race dead last (of course), slowly overtakes all the horse one by one (of course), ends up in a virtual dead-heat with the rich man's horse (of course) and eventually wins (OF COURSE), all to the accompaniment of Star War-like melodramatic 'heroic' music? It's not that this movie is bad: it is actually quite competently made and very watchable. I watched it with my grandchildren, who were quite fascinated. But there never was a single moment where I couldn't predict what was going to happen in the next scene with virtual certainty. Just how many such films has Hollywood made, ever since Mickey Rooney? 10, 20 30 ? Is it me getting old, or what?