josepainumkal
I enjoyed this movie thoroughly. I have seen other movies that tell the story of horses. War Horse,Sea Biscuit are some of them. For me, Secretariat is the winner among them. Diane Lane has done a fantastic job as Penny Chenery, and even though the film portrays the story of the horse, Secretariat, one could easily credit Diana as the soul of this movie. The transformation of a mediocre housewife to a successful horse owner is beautifully pictured in this biopic. The movie reminds us the need to stick with our instincts on difficult situations, and Penny Chenery's success underlines the fact that self-belief and determination always pays off.
juneebuggy
A nice feel-good family film along the lines of Seabiscuit but without any of the drama. The cast is fantastic and a great setting in the late 1960's. I just keep wanting to say nice, I mean nothing awful happens to anyone here except for a tooth abscess and a bit of sexism but I still found it interesting. Tracing the origins of the "greatest race horse too ever live" from inception through his triple crown win.There's actually not much attention paid to "Big Red" it mostly follows his owner 'Penny' (played brilliantly by Diane lane) a housewife who inherits her ailing fathers stables and her struggles in a male dominated sport, juggling a career and family.The attention to the issues of the time is well done. I can't find any faults, a definite feel good movie the whole family can enjoy. 03/09/14
gretz-569-323863
I gave "Secretariat" 8 stars instead of the 7 it probably deserved because it's one of those movies I watch every time it's on cable. For whatever reason, it is ridiculously entertaining, as long as you don't mind a little cornpone "Disney-fication" here and there.John Malkovich is wonderful as always, playing it very broadly, and sporting a dreadful "French-Canadian" accent, but it's a fun role and he has fun with it. And pretty soon they're going to be talking about "the ageless Diane Lane." She's approaching 60 and she looks just amazing. It must have been difficult for her to play someone who was not only a real person, but was also there on the set, watching her. No pressure there, eh? This is definitely not a study of the "soft underbelly" of horse racing. In "Secretariat," the stables are always shown in sunset and soft focus, the grooms and the secretaries are always full of homespun wisdom, and everything turns out OK in the end. And the Tweedys are one of those picture-perfect families you can't help but envy. "How can I raise a couple million dollars to keep my racehorse?" is a problem I'd like to have.But put all that stuff aside. You will love this movie for the racing scenes! The "horse cam" angle is really interesting, especially when you read about the process the filmmakers had to go through to get those shots. (There are other horsey little pleasures too, like the scene where the colt is born.) However, I echo some of the other reviewers in wishing that the filmmakers had used more of the real races. (They only showed the actual tape of one race; all the others were re-creations.) I get that they wanted to be poetic, but there was nothing more poetic than the real Secretariat.I remember watching that Belmont race on TV with a group of friends. And that moment when Secretariat pulled away, you could almost see the horse thinking "OK, let's do it"--and he just took off. It was one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen. This movie does a nice job of letting us share that excitement again.
ldquinn
This is a very enjoyable film for all - not a great one, but a fine way to spend a couple of hours on a cold afternoon.Then again, for the horse lovers (or inveterate gamblers) who followed the nags back then, this is an epic! Well, maybe not an epic; but, certainly, a fond reminder of a wonderful horse and a wonderful period in the racing world.Having seen the real Secretariat at Saratoga in '72 and having rooted for (and bet heavily on) Sham throughout '73, this film was a wonderful reminder of how much I loved the horses.The film is a very good portrayal of the industry, populated as it is by a myriad of characters - all odd in their own way...Diane Lane gives a fine performance as a strong woman in an era when women were just beginning to realize they could be strong.John Malkovich is perfect as the trainer, Lucien Laurin - almost washed up; but drawn back to the life for one more chance. Of course, his French accent is terrible!Dylan Walsh, as the husband, should have stayed on Nip Tuck and left well enough alone. His part was small, poorly written and poorly acted.French accent and Dylan Walsh aside, the other 99.9% of the film was very well done. If you like the horses, then see this film. If you've never followed the horses, be careful - this could make you an aficionado and drag you (and your wallet) to the track...
AD
