Star cast: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, Otto Thorwarth.
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Director: Randall Wallace.
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What’s Good: The inspiring story; Diane Lane’s performance.
What’s Bad: To some, the story might seem too good to be true. But then, it is!
Verdict: Secretariat will keep the audiences fairly well-entertained and inspired.
Loo Break: None.
Walt Disney Pictures’ Secretariat is a heart-warming story of one of the greatest racehorses of all time, Secretariat (or Big Red), and its owner, a housewife and mother, Penney Chenery (Diane Lane). Based on a true story, the film chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown race winner. The film begins with the death of Penney’s mother, after which she rushes to her senile father’s (Scott Glenn) aid and ends up taking over his Virginia-based Meadow Stables. In spite of opposition from her husband, Jack (Dylan Walsh) and her Harvard-professor brother, Hollis (Dylan Baker), and her apparent lack of horse-racing knowledge, she decides to take on the male-dominated world of horse racing.
Penney’s first step is firing the stable’s corrupt manager and taking a look at its finances. While Hollis and Jack want to sell the stable off, Penney opposes the idea tooth and nail. Lady Luck smiles on Penney when she wins an unborn foal – progeny of Bold Ruler, a champion stallion – in a coin toss with Ogden Phipps (James Cromwell), who is described as the world’s richest man. Penney’s hunch is that the foal, which she names Big Red, will possess unusual speed and stamina and she decides to race him. To train Big Red, she brings on board a veteran trainer, Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) and an intrepid jockey, Ronnie Turcotte (Otto Thorwarth). After a few months of training, Big Red is renamed for the racetrack as Secretariat. He wins a few small races, creating a buzz on the racing circuit. Penney convinces Phipps, the richest American, to invest money in the horse. But she has to guarantee that Secretariat will win all the three big races, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, or she will pay back her investors. Will the three-year-old Secretariat, acclaimed for its speed but rued for its lack of stamina, be able to win the Triple Crown? Does Penney manage to save her ailing father’s horse farm? The rest of the film answers these questions.
Script & Screenplay
Secretariat, written by Mike Rich, on ‘suggestion’ by William Nack’s book, Secretariat: The Making Of A Champion, is a masterly script. In the typical Disney fashion, the film tells a tale of hardened resolve in the face of many odds, leading to the protagonist’s ultimate triumph. In taking a real life story and dramatising it, the writer has mostly stuck to the facts and told, very beautifully, the inspiring tale of the greatest racehorse ever. However, the film will appeal more to the adults than the kids because it takes the audience through Penney Chenery’s conundrums and her tumultuous relationship with her husband and brother. Women will certainly sympathise with her character. If there be any flaw in the script, it might be the fact that it is a candy-floss version of what might have really happened. The dialogues are terse and functional, leaving aside a little bit of rhetoric.
Star Performances
The performances are all stellar. Diane Lane is wonderful and impactful in her role of Penney Chenery. John Malkovich will bring a smile to the audience’s faces as the eccentric but earnest French-Canadian trainer. Otto Thorwarth, as Secretariat’s Jockey, leaves a mark. Margo Martindale, as Penny’s assistant, is loveable. Nelsan Ellis, as Eddie, Secretariat’s groom, is very good. Scott Glenn, Dylan Walsh and Dylan Baker do well. Fred Dalton Thompson and James Cromwell are effective in their short roles. AJ Michalka, Sean Cunningham, Jacob Rhodes and Carissa Capobianco do well as Penney’s kids. Watch out for a special appearance by the real Mrs. Penney Chenery herself!
Direction & Editing
Director Randall Wallace does a good job. He is able to spin an inspiring tale. Even though we know the ultimate outcome of the drama, he has managed to create suspense by showing Secretariat losing in a race before the final three. He also, very cleverly, moves the focus of the film from the horse to the trials and tribulations of its owner, thus leveraging the story’s emotional quotient. The film’s excellent cinematography, by Dean Semler, and editing, by John Wright, go a long way in realising Wallace’s vision. All the races are very well-shot and edited; the farm locations have also been picturised very well.
The Last Word
On the whole, Secretariat makes for a good watch for the entire family. Its positivity should lead to good word-of-mouth.
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