I can watch Jappeloup seven times in one day because I love it so much! Jappeloup is a true story about Jappeloup, a very little jumping horse. The film tells his whole story and it's not boring but very interesting. It's a drama but it's sometimes comedic and there are a lot of happy moments.The director of Jappeloup is Christian Duguay, I don't know him but he has made a fabulous job and the film is very realistic. The lead roles are Guillaume Canet, my favorite actor, who plays Pierre Durand, Jappeloup's rider, and Marina Hands, a superb actress, who plays Pierre Durand's wife. Lou De Laâge plays Jappeloup's groom and I love this actress because she is very emotional and she plays very well! Jappeloup's life began in 1980, but the movie was released in 2013 in France. There aren't special effects because it's a true story but the music is awesome, the composer is Clinton Shorter and he makes a fantastic job creating an affecting music.This movie won 1 César in 2014 and 1 "Prix Lumière" in 2014. To me, there aren't negative points and you must see it if you are a horse rider.When it was released I wasn't convinced I wanted to see it but now I can watch it my whole life without being bored. It's the most moving film I have ever seen because you can cry about it and one second after you can be very happy and have a laugh. My favorite moment is when Jappeloup and his horse rider Pierre Durand won the Olympic Games in 1988. You must watch it! You'll have a better day! E.A

I've only ever seen one horsey film that was any good, in my opinion as a professional horse person. This was Seabiscuit. (OK, maybe International Velvet was not too bad, in the guilty pleasure type category)Now I've seen two. Jappeloup is quality. Every care was taken, every attention was given, every bit of love was lavished, on what could have been a run of the mill sporty rags-to-riches script (heavily romanced from the true story of Jappeloup and Pierre Durand), but turned out to be a beautifully filmed, heartwarming, exciting story.I'm not sure how much more I love it due to the fact that I was watching Jappeloup as a child in France, that I knew all the riders and it reminded me of very good and very nostalgic memories, but you could argue that it would have made me more critical of it - yet I couldn't find any obvious flaws and I found myself on the edge of the seat once or twice (even knowing the outcome as it's history!)The acting is excellent as you would expect from such a high class bunch of actors; the story itself comes very close to excessive sentimentalism a few times, but never crosses the line. It's handled with delicacy and tact, and they have made the very most of a very predictable tale. The photography is astonishing, beautifully showcasing the french countryside, the pace is leisurely, giving you time to know the characters, the times (accurately depicted, from everybody smoking, drink driving, getting back on the horse no matter how hurt you were etc...all true, young people! - things have changed a lot). Special mention to the soundtrack which is wonderful, and the action scenes, with a car following Guillaume and filming superb and never done before jumping shotsIn brief, I highly recommend it to anyone who loves horses. So much of it is very close to home; it really translates the passion, the fears, the doubts, the love, what makes us.For others, rest assured the film is more than a horse film, it's a solid story a la Rocky filmed in a more subtle way. And you might get to understand what your daughter/friend/cousin sees in those beasts. Certainly I never thought showjumping could be this exciting to watch, and I'm partial to it already! True story films are usually bland, seen one, seen them all, but this is better and worth watching. Set yourselves on Seabiscuit, if you saw it. It's the same type of offering: a well made straightforward people story with a blessedly realistic horse background.(I just watched it in Bluray since I couldn't get to see it on the big screen, and it's worth it. The quality of the picture and the colours are amazing)8 out of 10

I was reluctant to go for the ride. I think movies about great horses cannot make great movies, even if they are very well done they only cater for a limited public: kids if it's mostly a fable, or connoisseurs if it's more of a true story.Then I am no fan of Guillaume Canet. The lack of depth in his turf plus the fact that he envisioned the Jappeloup story as 'Rocky meets jumpers' really did not appeal to me. And even if I was crazy about jumping I would have had these many reservations.Now Jappeloup has been cleverly crafted around the choices that rider Pierre Durand had to face, with the central paternal figure played to perfection by Daniel Auteuil. This is enough to tell an emotional story that peaks with every jumping show.The seminal choice for Durand to leave his lawyer job to live his passion to the full is well timed, but emotion really lies with the father's simple and heartfelt lines. The father then comes on schedule to ease the stress while his son only appears as bland, more obstinate than really passionate about riding, let alone about his horse.The groom character created as a proxy for the horse-rider relationship is not really interesting. It shaves a narrative challenge off the main character's shoulders, only making him look vain and passive before others - the groom (Lou de Laâge), his father, his wife (Marina Hands) - steer him in the right direction.In the end, the mere succession of key jumping events starts to be too much, all the more so as the father is no longer there. And maybe the movie lacks Daniel Auteuil to deliver the final word, because in the end there is no sense of a lesson learnt. The journey was emotionally charged but the minute after we arrived it's all gone.