meggers-35068 It should have been a good movie. The premise was there...but the script was horrible and the acting worse. Why is Samantha such a princess? Why is her Mom such a ditz? Who gets an Olympic Trial letter in the mail?! There are so many plot holes and ridiculous jumps I am amazed this turkey was released. My 6yr old grandson, who loves horse movies, didn't last 20 minutes. I continued watching, because I kept HOPING it would get better. It just got worse...the "panic" filled search for a missing "grief stricken" Samantha ( seriously?!?!? Can we just say Barney Fife would have been more convincing) and then the sudden and miraculous performance of :The Horse Dancer...ugh. This is a couple hours I'll never get back. DON'T waste your time!

mlktrout Learning about the real-life Black River Ranch made me wish I could like this movie better. The movie is lovely to look at; the scenery makes me long to visit this place myself. And I love horses, so anything from Seabiscuit to Secretariat will find me eagerly in front of the screen. But that's where I have to stop. Everyone else seems to find it flawed because of the acting, and it's true, you won't find any Oscar winners here; everyone else has already ripped the actors to shreds, so there's no need to go there now. But it's not just the acting. It's the writing. The main character, Sam, comes from a home where her mother is single and working too hard to ever associate with the girl; her main relationship is with her grandmother, whose sweetness and emphasis on friendship and teamwork makes it just not make sense that the girl is such a cold, standalone snot. It gives her a great character arc--but that isn't handled well either, as the girl spends most of her time on her own, and the only two friends she seems to make are with the counselors, not among her peers. Even at the end of the movie when she makes the video to save the camp (and the video was not her idea, regardless of what any other reviewer says; it was a counselor's idea and she went along with it).There's something that looks like a subplot in the middle of the movie when one of the counselors approaches a lonely little bespectacled girl and tells her not to feel bad for having a speech impediment, because she'll find something that she does really well instead. So one would expect to see this little girl at the end of the movie, having found her "thing"--but nope, she's back at the campfire with all the other non-stars, singing the usual silly songs.So the themes of the movie--friendship and teamwork--never are pulled off, and I blame this solely on the writers, who apparently were on the clock and anxious to get home to dinner. It's a shame, because it could have been a much better movie.

lavatch "The Horse Dancer" is based on a real summer camp for kids in Michigan. There is a great line spoken by the mean old businessman, who refuses to offer financial support to the failing camp: "I'm funding Obamacare!", proclaims the self-made man. Based on the results of Obamacare, his money would have been better spent on Black River Camp. Despite his lack of philanthropic motivation, the counselors and the kids at camp pool their resources to help save the camp.The best relationship in the film was that of the gymnast Samantha and her grandmother. It was only unclear why Sam was such a prima donna, other than it was a necessary plot device. With the good influence of the grandmother, Sam shouldn't have been so grumpy.The filming was beautiful with the farm, the animals, and the idyllic site for a summer camp. But the singing sessions were pretty bad. It wasn't no much the lousing singing, but the obnoxious lyrics that were grating. On the other hand, the silliness of the "flag" ritual and the jaw-dropping stupidity of the "announcements" were so bad that they eventually became endearing features of summer camp.It was refreshing to watch a film with some decent values. The theme of teamwork was heartfelt, and the lead performer was a terrific gymnast. There was great comaraderie among the counselors and campers that embodied a truly positive spirit of Black River Farm. Bravo!

nsummerbreeze-282-539013 As a Michigan Actress, I would like to give a round of applause to the Director/Actor: Joel Paul Reisig, for this outstanding film! Though I was not in this film personally, I did attend the premiere and was so proud of everyone for their hard work and dedication. What a beautiful family-friendly film. The script dealt with so many emotions, sad, happy, loss, challenge, excitement, and more. It was wonderful of the Director to include so many young actors and to allow them to experience being in a feature film. The quality and clarity of the filming were superb! Bringing in a few actors from Hollywood made the film that much exciting. From start to finish, this film grabbed my interest and my eyes never left the screen till after the credits. The premier was an autograph signing event, glitz and glamour and the respect and admiration the Director has for each and every cast member were admirable. Thank you, Joel, for making a difference in the lives of actors, of all ages.