Opening Day: 12 January 2006


Synopsis :

DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY tells the story of a father who, for the love of his daughter, sacrifices almost everything to save the life of an injured racehorse and bring the promising filly back to her former glory. Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) was once a great horseman, whose gifts as a trainer are now being wasted on making other men’s fortunes. Soñador—called Sonya—was a great horse whose promising future on the racetrack is suddenly cut short by a career-ending broken leg. Considered as good as dead to her owner, who also happens to be Ben’s boss, Sonya is given to Ben as severance pay, along with his walking papers. Now, it
will take the unwavering faith and determination of Ben’s young daughter, Cale (Dakota Fanning), to bring these two damaged souls together in a quest for a seemingly impossible goal: to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. However, the true miracle might be that, in helping this injured horse,
what they are actually healing is their own family.

Movie Review:

Watching the trailer and judging the movie by that, it does not seem that this movie has much to offer other than your standard fare of regular family entertainment. And if you have seen enough trailers, you will probably come to know that for a vast majority, the trailers end up being a lot more engaging than the actual movie itself. As a result, it does indeed come as a surprise, when every now and then a movie comes along that actually works the other way around, and this motion picture is positively one of those gems.

Dreamer is one of those stories that Hollywood does not make much of anymore. It is the kind of movie that reflects a lot on family values and the things that keep people together. It is the sort of movie that gets you feeling rather warm-hearted on the inside after seeing it, and that is where the strength of this movie lies.

The story tells of a horseman who looses his job when the horse he trains gets into a fatal injury during a race. Considered a liability to his boss, Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) takes the injured horse, Soñador as part of his severance pay, and works on nursing her back to health. In the process of doing this, Ben unknowingly mends his relationships with members of the family, including that of his own estranged father.

His daughter, Cale Crane shares the same passion for horses that her father once had and longs for one of their own. As she notes, theirs is the only horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky without any horses. So when Soñador, better known as Sonya, ends up on their farm, she is ecstatic and through a series of rather unlikely events, develops a dream to race Sonya in the coveted Breeders’ Cup Classic.

As far as being the average moviegoer, it is inevitable many audiences will compare this film to that other racehorse movie, Seabiscuit. However, with that being said, other than it being about a horse that attempts to achieve an unlikely victory – that is where the similarities between the two end. Where both movies differ greatly is that for Dreamer, it is definitely the one with more heart and soul. A lot more emotions and layers were put into the characters and it’s storytelling, such that you will find yourself immersing into the each individual, getting more invested in them as the story goes.

The chemistry between the characters is amazing to watch and Kurt Russell’s acting is brilliant and spot on as his role of a father who struggles between doing what is realistically right, and what is really right. No doubt, many fathers will probably find themselves identifying and understanding his dilemmas. Dakota Fanning shines in her role as a determined and plucky child who is not afraid to stand up against the obstacles set in their path. Given her range of emotions and superb acting ability, it almost feels like Fanning is more of an actress in the body of a child, rather than a child actress. Her relationship with on-screen father, Kurt Russell feels very real and it is great to watch them together as we see her faith inspire and encourage her father along the way.

Interestingly enough, the role of Cale Crane was originally written for a boy, and this was changed deliberately so that Fanning could play it. Director John Gatins was even told that he would only get his film made if she was in it. Lucky for him (and us), she took it on and gave one of her best performances to date.

Inspired by the story a real mare, named Mariah's Storm (which is even mentioned in one part of the movie), who broke her leg when she was two and later returned back to the racecourse, the reality, of course, is not as spectacular as the movie version, but one should keep in mind that this movie is not based on that, and the message is not so much about the horse, as it is about having the courage to live your dream no matter how young or old you are.

The movie does get a little predictable toward the end, and you may even be able to make a more than fair guess at the outcome, but that really does not matter, because this is about the journey they take and watching them work their way through is where the delight and enjoyment comes from. Not one for the jaded and cynical, this movie is for those who are ready to open their hearts and appreciate the value of their chicken soup for the soul.

Movie Rating:

(A feel good family movie that is definitely not just for the family, watch it for the wonderful cast and storytelling.)

Review by Jolene Tan