MM Film Blog

Randall Wallace’s Secretariat is a prime example of storytelling at its best – this amazing story of the eponymous horse combines heart, thrills and high action drama, and manages to keep us on the edge of our seats, even when we know the outcome!

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The film chronicles the horseracing career of Secretariat in the early 1970's, who was not only the last horse to win horseracing’s triple crown (The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and The Belmont Stakes), but smashed all records in the process! More than just a sports action film, it is a beautiful loving story centered around the horse, his owner, Penny Chenery Tweedy, and all those who participate in his drama. Penny sets the tone early in the film as a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to go for it! Though she is seen as "just a housewife", she steps right into the male-dominated world of horse racing and breeding, and never looks back. When we watch her stride right through the men-only club to talk to a family friend/adviser while he is eating lunch, we know that this woman is going to take us on an exciting ride, along with the horse!

Diane Lane does some of her best work to date as the aforementioned owner – a woman who takes over the family horse farm after her mother’s death and father’s failing health. She plays the hard-as-nails owner with class, style, and heart. She imbues her character with strength, determination, dignity, vulnerability, and love – standing toe-to-toe with horseracing moguls one minute, and crying over missing her daughter’s school play the next. We feel her inner struggle as she is torn between two worlds -- the horse farm in Virginia, and her family in Denver. And her interactions with the horse are magical – the love between them is palpable.

John Malkovich, who often plays villainous characters, is an absolute joy as Lucien Laurin, the French-Canadian trainer who “dresses like Superfly”. He brings much needed (but subtle) comic relief at just the right moments. And the relationship that develops between owner and trainer is quite heartwarming. Margo Martindale is an absolute gem as the family’s private secretary Elizabeth Ham. She provides a quiet backbone of fortitude, loyalty, nurturance, competence, and love for Penny, and for us! Nelsan Ellis as Eddie, the horse handler, is absolutely delightful! As the one who is closest to the horse, he gives us a window into the horse’s heart, mind, and soul. On the morning of the Kentucky Derby, when Eddie shouts to an empty Churchill Downs stadium, “Good morning Kentucky! You are going to see something you ain’t never seen before!” the air is filled with excitement and promise, as are we!

And of course, we can't forget the horse -- known as Big Red by those close to him -- who in the film is actually portrayed by 5 different horses, each for a different purpose. This larger than life character shines every minute that he is on screen. He seems to know exactly what is going on -- he even poses for photos! So we find ourselves falling in love with the horse as we are cheering for his victories.

All of the acting in this film is just superb. Most notable are Otto Thorwarth as the feisty jockey Ronnie Turcotte, Fred Dalton Thompson as the family friend Bull Hancock, and James Cromwell as multi-millionaire Ogden Phipps.

The one exception is Dylan Walsh as Penny’s husband, Jack Tweedy. There are obvious tensions in their marriage, due to the fact that Penny is commuting between her Denver home and the Virginia horse farm. The tensions are further complicated by the high-stakes multi-million dollar financial deals Penny makes to save the farm and pay off inheritance taxes. Yet Jack seems to be about as annoyed as he would be if his eggs had been overcooked. The relationship between them is confusing and scenes are left hanging. Apparently this is more due to the directing than the acting – Randall Wallace admitted that he wanted the film to focus on the horse’s story, and did not want the marriage problems to detract from that. So though we do see the tensions played out on Penny’s face, the bulk of the interactions between her and her husband are “white-washed”. And of course, this is a Disney film, which generally tend to focus more on uplifting stories. So it is in keeping with their body of work that the uplifting aspects of the story would be played up, while the difficult aspects would be downplayed. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The film employed new camera technology, which enabled them to film the races in ways never done before. We see closeups of the horse's eye in the starting gate. We see the dirt flying under the horses' hooves as they race, or the track in front of us as if we are on the horse! All of this adds to the excitement and drama of the film. And it brings the races to the forefront of the story.

As a change-up, we actually view one of the races on the television screen along with the rest of the Tweedy family that remained back in Denver -- a nice touch!

There are a few sub themes in this film -- women coming into their own in the 1970s, doing what you believe in even if it isn't the popular choice (the daughters go to Chile to join a protest movement), and the importance of following your dreams.

All in all, this is a heartwarming, exciting, and beautiful film, highly recommended for the whole family!

MM Rating - *****