|
|
  
Back Shelf Beauties
|
Seabiscuit Seabiscuit, at its heart, is a story about three men, one horse and a country all down on their luck. Much like the real life Seabiscuit, this movie carries on its shoulders the hopes and dreams of the underdogs - a moviegoing public and collection of critics who are tired of the endless string of mindless sequels that damage our hearing with their high volume explosions and unoriginal car chases. Is Seabiscuit up to the challenge? Is it the savior of the summer movie season? Based on the real life story, as told in the book Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, Jeff Bridges stars as Charles Howard - an enterprising entrepreneur who understands the value of a second chance. After his life has been devastated, he becomes very interested in horse racing. He is convinced to purchase the laziest, meanest, most untrainable horse around, Seabiscuit, and with the help of a strange, almost mystical trainer, Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), and an oversized jockey who makes ends meet by boxing on the side, Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire), they attempt to make Seabiscuit into a winner. Along the way, they start to attract the attention, and admiration, of a hurting nation. Will Seabiscuit become a great horse? Can he live up to everyone's expectations? I am probably in the minority on this one, but I thought Seabiscuit was just a good movie that could have been great. It does crescendo with a very emotional climax that will help you leave the theater with a good feeling, but the road to that climax is a rocky one. I hate the first hour of the movie. The information in that section is very crucial to understanding the characters and establishes the story, but it could have been done better. Let's face it. You and I are there to see the horse, and it takes too darn long for Seabiscuit to make his appearance. When he does, writer/director Gary Ross does a wonderful job of giving the audience Seabiscuit's life story in a snappy five minute narrated montage. Sadly, this technique and style should have been used to introduce the other lead characters. Instead of making a rambling, unfocused first hour, Ross should have made a twenty-minute concise, interesting and fulfilling opening sequence that gives us the same information in a more entertaining way. The Seabiscuit introduction sequence gives the movie the life and energy that it should have had from the first minute. Once the story gets going, Seabiscuit is a good, if sometimes sappy, film. Bridges is enthralling as the bombastic Howard. It's the best role, and Bridges lives up to it. He is entertaining and funny when needed, and one of the best dramatic actors in any film when Howard must face horrible losses. It's a charismatic role that would not have been well done by a ham of an actor. Bridges gives Howard the right energy level and tone in every scene. Cooper doesn't get too much to do, so he puts in a professional and competent job, while Maguire seems to get better as he movie progresses. As Pollard matures, and the material becomes much better, Maguire is able to get the audience involved with his plight. William H. Macy is the actor in Seabiscuit that will make you remember the film after you have left the theater. He plays Tick Tock McGlaughlin - a horse racing reporter and radio host with zeal. He is comical without being silly, and spits out the rapid-fire dialogue with aplomb. It's a great performance that should be honored some day. Kudos to Ross for not overdoing it. I wish I could say the same for his use of the soundtrack. Seabiscuit needs less music. Ross fills too many scenes with uplifting, meaningful music that is supposed to tug at our heartstrings, but fails to do so after he goes to the well too many times. Not EVERY scene is supposed to be soaring and emotional, but Ross makes the film as if it's a movie trailer. Some quiet and nuance would have made the film better, instead of the monotonous melody that always seems to be in the background. Finally, the narration is overdone. At times, I felt Ross was trying to make a documentary with too many asides and too much use of old photos to play out the action and set the scene. While David McCullough is great with the narration, he is only needed 2 or 3 times at most. Seabiscuit is enjoyable, but I don't think it will live up to the wild expectations many have for it. Grade: B Copyright 2003 - WaffleMovies.com
|
