Seabiscuit
Straight from Northern California comes the story of Seabiscuit, a horse too small to be considered a winner but with a heart of a champion. Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), a product of a rags-to-riches success story who transitioned from bicycles to automobiles and made a fortune, was riding on Cloud 9 until the Depression hit both in America and in his life. While he was financially okay, his son was lost in a car accident and his wife was lost to divorce. After he finds a new love at a racetrack, he decides to get a horse of his own. Overlooking a host of race-bred horses, he agrees upon an unlikely, and very cheap, horse chosen and trained by Tom Smith (Chris Cooper). Smith, in turn, chooses an equally unlikely jockey in Red Pollard, who is oversized, at least in jockey terms, played by Tobey Maguire. Soon enough, the west coast is abuzz with word that Seabiscuit is the fastest horse out there. Of course, things are way different in the east, which has a horse of their own in War Admiral, a horse which has won many prestigious races including the Triple Crown. The group of Howard, Pollard, Smith, and Seabiscuit make their way to the east to try to compete and gain respect. But every race Seabiscuit races, War Admiral fails to show. The two parties decide to hold a two-horse race of their own on War Admiral's home turf. They're all ready to race until Pollard, testing out a horse for an old boss, is stepped on, breaking his leg. He's told he can never ride again. It is here that the human spirit takes flight as a story of perserverence results.

This is such a grand piece of work. I've always been a fan of Gary Ross movies, from Big to Dave to Pleasantville to this one. (Okay, Mr. Baseball was a minor setback.) In every one of these films, the surroundings every character interacts plays a major role in his development, whether it is the big-city lifestyle Tom Hanks adjusted to, the busy cut-throat political scene in Dave, the naivete of Pleasantville, and, yes, Tokyo for Tom Selleck. But while these are generally specific to one locale, Seabiscuit's story, as well as the prime cast of characters involved, could have been repeated at any old racetrack. But Ross, while showcasing handsomely the development of 4 losers into winners, never does forget his surroundings, creating the look and feel befitting a champion Seabiscuit became in the 1930s. Though sometimes Ross gets a little carried away and chooses to over-emphasize the connections each of them have with each other and also gives us some extraneous scenes, he knows how to tell a good story (adapted from Laura Hillenbrand book) and tell it well.

All the actors give great performances. Bridges and recent Oscar-winner Cooper can always be counted on to give a good perfromance, but the standout is Maguire, who shows a wide range of emotion, from the frustrating defeats to the highs of winnings, and the lows of suffering an injury and watching his friend accept honors he should have won. William H. Macy provides comic relief with his announcer shtick, giving us time to enjoy what we've just seen while staying updated on what that amazing horse keeps on doing. Seabiscuit wins...and it is some winner. 3.5 stars