Although so inspired by a true story that the official title is "Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story," the end credit disclaimer scores high on the CYA scale by stating that while the movie was based on fact, all the characters are fictional and so are all the things that happen to them. It's a shame that the movie itself couldn't have been so, well, inspired.
Debuting writer-director John Gatins seems afraid of being accused of being schmaltzy in this story of a former rider, his daughter, and the crippled horse they take under their wings (?), so he reins in any attempts at going all the way. Which might work wonders for the Stiff Upper Lip crowd, but doesn't make for much energy; the movie seems to underplay any attempts at drama (even when Sonador, the titular horse, thwarts attempts to put her out to breed when she's found to be infertile, it doesn't have any kind of impact and is treated with almost the same emphasis as Elisabeth Shue's new hat) and bows out of taking any turns that might make it more compelling - although it must have been a change for Freddy Rodriguez to play a jockey in a family movie after all those years on "Six Feet Under," the subplot of his seeking to get back in the game is almost an afterthought.
You have to admit it's hard to hate and it hits all its plot points pleasantly enough, but one wishes it could have cut loose a bit more, not least in the actual racing scenes (and sadly that includes the Breeders' Cup climax)... and kept from signifying the bad guy(well, as close as bad as possible in this kind of movie) by having him always wear shades and a suit. Fred Murphy's photography helps - bonus: unlike "Racing Stripes," the movie really was shot in Kentucky and other southern States - and so does John Debney's pleasant if temp-tracked-up-the-wazoo score (shoutout to "Field of Dreams" and "Cast Away" for openers), but it's really the cast that makes it a cut above your average bland family movie on Sky or Five; Dakota Fanning in particular is as terrific as ever, although it IS strange to see this older-than-her-years child in a movie her age group can actually see for once.
Fanning is so good she even upstages the horse, a rarity in animal movies. Then again, maybe the fact that the movie devotes as much time to the people as to the critter is a problem. Or maybe not; it's not like it damages the final product overmuch - the result is not a patch on the last version of "Black Beauty," but it's a decent movie for horse-loving children and patient older viewers. (Oh yes, and Bethany Dillon's end credit song isn't as bad as it could have been, even if it does scream "CMT music video.")
Debuting writer-director John Gatins seems afraid of being accused of being schmaltzy in this story of a former rider, his daughter, and the crippled horse they take under their wings (?), so he reins in any attempts at going all the way. Which might work wonders for the Stiff Upper Lip crowd, but doesn't make for much energy; the movie seems to underplay any attempts at drama (even when Sonador, the titular horse, thwarts attempts to put her out to breed when she's found to be infertile, it doesn't have any kind of impact and is treated with almost the same emphasis as Elisabeth Shue's new hat) and bows out of taking any turns that might make it more compelling - although it must have been a change for Freddy Rodriguez to play a jockey in a family movie after all those years on "Six Feet Under," the subplot of his seeking to get back in the game is almost an afterthought.
You have to admit it's hard to hate and it hits all its plot points pleasantly enough, but one wishes it could have cut loose a bit more, not least in the actual racing scenes (and sadly that includes the Breeders' Cup climax)... and kept from signifying the bad guy(well, as close as bad as possible in this kind of movie) by having him always wear shades and a suit. Fred Murphy's photography helps - bonus: unlike "Racing Stripes," the movie really was shot in Kentucky and other southern States - and so does John Debney's pleasant if temp-tracked-up-the-wazoo score (shoutout to "Field of Dreams" and "Cast Away" for openers), but it's really the cast that makes it a cut above your average bland family movie on Sky or Five; Dakota Fanning in particular is as terrific as ever, although it IS strange to see this older-than-her-years child in a movie her age group can actually see for once.
Fanning is so good she even upstages the horse, a rarity in animal movies. Then again, maybe the fact that the movie devotes as much time to the people as to the critter is a problem. Or maybe not; it's not like it damages the final product overmuch - the result is not a patch on the last version of "Black Beauty," but it's a decent movie for horse-loving children and patient older viewers. (Oh yes, and Bethany Dillon's end credit song isn't as bad as it could have been, even if it does scream "CMT music video.")