MM Film Blog

Don't let the title fool you -- the only part of writer/director John Gatin's film inspired by a true story is the story of the horse. Everything about the characters is pure fiction -- but it is fiction at its best. Quite an accomplishment for first-time director Gatin.

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OK, so the story is 100% predictable. We've seen it many times -- the story of a little girl who believes in something against all odds, and unites a family through her determination and her actions. The story of a family and a horse both down on their luck, and how they heal each other. The father/son and father/daughter relationships that start out damaged, but you know will be righted by the end of the film. But the reason we've seen these themes so many times is because when done well, they are so good. We love to feel good, and this is one of those true feel-good films. Some would call it a guilty pleasure. But why feel guilty about feeling good?

Dakota Fanning is an amazing young actress with wisdom beyond her years, and is totally captivating as a young girl who believes in her dreams, because she hasn't learned not to. The film also boasts strong performances from a dream cast -- Kris Kristofferson, Kurt Russell, and Elisabeth Shue among others. Kristofferson and Russell are perfect in their roles, and look amazingly like father and son. Elisabeth Shue is a wonderful actor -- underrated in my opinion -- who portrays her character with a little more intelligence than is probably warranted. There is wonderful chemistry among all the actors.

The film was originally to be called Dreamer, but another studio had a lock on the title. Dreamer is the English translation of the name of the horse, Soñador. The longer title doesn't really add anything, but it doesn't really hurt either.

In these times where so many films are filled with violence, chase scenes, or mindless teenage comedy, it's refreshing to see someone make an old-fashioned heartwarming film! All in all, this is a very enjoyable family film, for kids of all ages.

MM Rating - * * * * *