Secretariat

Why do I keep wanting to say Seabiscuit every time I want to say Secretariat instead?

Let’s see: they’re both real life champion horses and both have had movies about them. It’s just that Seabiscuit, both on-screen and in real life came first. So, the memories of Seabiscuit are quite there.

The titular horse of Secretariat, it happened, won the Triple Crown of Horse Racing back in 1973. There, I spoiled the ending of the movie.

Before then, Secretariat was won by housewife Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) in a coin toss. With the aid of eccentric trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich), Chenery raised Secretariat as the last hope of her ailing father’s Ranch. In doing so, Chenery not only pitted her horse against many more, but also herself against the chauvinists running the show.

Its director is Randall Wallace, best known as the writer of Braveheart, and its writer is Mike Rich, who did another Disney sports film, The Rookie. Here, the two have crafted a film that relies on getting there, and not the end result. Sure, Penny wins and saves the Ranch, but will she loose her family’s love in the process?

Lane and Malkovich are both great in their roles, with Malkovich once again a fine scene stealer. Their performances, and some fine effort by the crew, help make Secretariat a nice ride all the way through.