MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:45 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right
| Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story Movie Stats & Links |
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| Starring: | Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue |
| MPAA Rated: | PG |
| Released By: | Dreamworks SKG |
| Release Date: | 2005 |
| Kiddie Movie: | More for the girls, but good for all. |
| Date Movie: | If she likes a feel-good movie. |
| Gratuitous Sex: | Nope. |
| Gratuitous Violence: | Some angry talk, but no one’s punching each other out. |
| Action: | Just some horse-racing. |
| Laughs: | Some pretty good moments. |
| Memorable Scene: | Cale in front of the Breeders’ Cup horse-choosing people. |
| Memorable Quote: | Ben: “You work for her now.” |
| Directed By: | John Gatins |
As much as Dakota Fanning has been impressing me in movie after movie she is in, I am becoming a big fan of Snake Plissken, I mean Kurt Russell, especially with his role as Herb Brooks in “Miracle,” and now as Ben Crane in “Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story.” Let’s get to it…
“Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story” gives us an adaptation of a story where a son and dad nurse a horse back from a broken leg and get it to race in the Breeders’ Cup. From what I’ve read, and what the movie showed, that’s pretty much the only part of the story that was inspired, but that’s okay, because instead of just a movie about getting a horse back to racing shape, we get a movie about a family in disarray and how the horse gets the family to be a family again.
So, Dakota Fanning is Cale. She’s a fan of her dad, Ben, but Ben doesn’t spend any time with her, and she’s sort of tormented because they live on a horse farm without any horses. Finally going to work with Dad, she gets to see a horse, Sonya, run, and Cale likes her. She also gets to see that Dad’s boss, Palmer (David Morse), is a jerk. Sadly, during Sonya’s race, Sonya breaks a leg, and they are ready to put the horse down. Palmer again treats Ben like crap, Ben gets fired/quits, and in lieu of some of his back pay, Ben take Sonya instead.
Now taking Sonya may seem like a stupid idea to the rest of us, who normally assume a racehorse with a broken leg might as well just be put to sleep, but Ben does have a plan, and it’s a good plan, but with a bad ending.
Later in the movie, after Ben has an argument with Mom (Elisabeth Shue), overheard by Cale, Cale decides to take Sonya (whose actual name is Soñador, which means dreamer in Spanish) and run away from home, Sonya gets spooked, and everyone involved realizes Sonya might actually be able to race again, which is a good thing since she can’t get pregnant.
And so, Ben eventually gives Cale total say in how Sonya is worked, and she has some help from a couple of other horse-folk, Balon (Luis Guzman), and Manolin (Freddy Rodriquez). Sonya now only has one dream left, and that’s to get Sonya into the Breeders’ Cup, and mom makes dad let their daughter follow her dream, and it’s a good thing mom is around.
There really aren’t any surprises in this movie, but you know what, I didn’t care because it was just an enjoyable film. You feel for Cale when dad makes a mistake at Sonya’s come-back race, you understand the frustration for Ben when his original plan for Sonya falls apart, you’re happy that Palmer gets payback for being a jerk, and you feel the tension between Ben and his father, Pop (Kris Kristofferson), knowing they have a past that they just can’t get over. For all of this to work, you needed a cast of folks who could pull this off, and everyone involved in this movie was perfectly cast.
I don’t know if younger boys (most definitely not teen boys) would like the movie, especially with so much of it being centered around Cale, but most of the families that were in the theater really seemed to enjoy it. If you’ve got a young daughter, this movie is probably perfect for her, just realize that she might come out of the film wanting you to buy her a horse instead of a puppy. 4 ½ stars out of 5, you know what, screw that, it’s 5 stars out of 5, even without nudity, gratuitous violence, or swearing. And yes, I admit, it made me a little weepy at times.
That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!