For being a movie about an equestrian icon, I was surprised at how disengaged I felt with the horse. I went into this movie expecting to see an exciting tale about an underdog who rose above the odds to win it all. Instead, I got a bogged-down story that loses itself in flat characters and uninteresting dialogue. The cast is great and everyone does their best to keep the movie afloat, but even John Malkovich can't make up for such a shoddy script. Overall, Secretariat is a movie that tries to do too much. Instead of focusing on the horse and what it means to win, we get stuck with dull interactions about investors, boring family issues, financial decisions, and other aspects that do very little to support the story. A movie titled 'Secretariat' should focus on the horse. You can imagine my frustration when I discovered how little insight the film gave about him. What it showed was a two-hour display of Diane Lane's insecurities and how she deals with an unsupportive husband. A husband who, believe it or not, has no personality aside from being too concerned about money.It's a pretty harmless venture, and it certainly means well, but I can't overlook the blatant issues. It certainly isn't terrible, but if you're looking for an inspiring movie about an American legend, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. Stick with Seabiscuit, a movie with far more interesting characters, a much better script, and a lot more heart.

Housewife Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) has to take over her family's Meadow Stables from her sick father after her mother's death. She's the quintessential underdog in the world of horse breeding. With the help of trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich), she produces the most important horse in recent history ultimately the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.There are some questions about the truth in this movie. Although I have sympathies for the complaint, modern audiences have to set aside their naivety. Unless the movie is labeled a documentary, there isn't any good complaining about authenticity.This is a very good traditional underdog movie. Of course, everything is against them. I'm sure Disney has smooth out all the rough edges. I'm sure they just plain thrown out the rough edges. Diane Lane is great as the smart gutsy heroine. All the basics of David versus Goliath are properly included. There is nothing unsuspected to derail this.

There are quite a few "feel good" movies out there; most of them suitable for all. Movies such as "Sea Bisquit", "Apollo 13", and others are really wonderful. But this one...."Secretariat" takes the cake - IMHO.I have two granddaughters (4 and 1 1/2). The four year old has watched this movie (according to her mom) "'bout a hunert times"!!!!Still...in the Belmont Stakes sequence, the 4 year old cheers on "Big Red" the entire way!!Yes, there are "lessons" to be learned. Not quiting when all is running against you; hiring the "tried and true" when others around you are saying you're wrong. Keeping family as close as possible, but sticking to your guns....and more.But the horse racing can't be beat!Don't miss this one!

True story of who's considered to be the greatest racehorse of all time the big Red chestnut himself Secretariat. It was when owner of the near bankrupt Medaow Stables in Virginia housewife Penny Chenery, Diane Lane, decided to get trainer Lucien Laurin, Jon Makovich, and jockey Ron Turcotte, Otto Thornarth, both French Canadians to take control of her two year old Secretariat things started happening.Lauren & Turcotte had guided Penny's other horse Riva Ridge to both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes the year before only losing to Bee-Bee-Bee in the Preakness on an off track at Pimlico. That prevented Riva Ridge from winning the coveted racing Triple Crown. Now with Secretariat, the two year old champ and 1972 horse of the year, ready to start his three year old racing season it's Penny's hope that he'll do what the great Riva Ridge didn't! Become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years since Citation did it back in 1948!Easily winning the seven furlong Bayshore Stakes and Gotham Mile at the Aqueduct Race Track the Big Red machine, as Secretariat has become known among racing fans, faltered in the one mile and a furlong Wood Memorial coming in third behind his stablemate Angle Light and California invader Sham. With the Kentucky Derby just two weeks away it was now rumored that Big Red doesn't have the stamina to win the 1 1/4 mile long race as well as the even longer 1 1/2 mile "Race or Test of Champions" the Belmont Stakes. With Sham his main rival in both the Derby and Preakness the Big Red Machine made short work of the Californian not only beating him but setting track, 1.59 2/5 at Churchill Downs and 1.53 3/5 at Pimlico, records in doing it! With Secretariat oddly the odd on choice to do the impossible in winning the Belmont Stakes Sham's trainer Pocho Martin, Nestor Serrano, instructs Sham's jockey Laffit Pincay, Keith Austin, to go head to head with the big chestnut instead of trying to close on him like he did in both the Derby and Preakness where he ran out of gas before he got to the finish line. This set up one of the greatest moments, or two minutes and 24 seconds, in all of horse racing history. In what looked like a match race Sham pushed Secretariat for six furlongs in the hope that the big red horse would burn himself out in doing so. The exact opposite happened with Sham out of breath and stopping badly and finishing up the track dead last! As a tireless Secretariat, with wings on his hoofs, ends up not only winning the race and Triple Crown but winning it by an astounding 31 lengths! That's a distance of some 82 yards almost the length of an entire football field! And him doing it, with the Gospel song "O' Happy Day" in the background, without as much as breaking a sweat!Great heart thumping and colorful racing scenes even though they weren't filmed, Aqucduct Churchill Downs and Belmont Park, where the actual races took place. As for the Preakness Stakes it was shown on a TV screen with the actual 1973 video of the race that Secretariat won. Which only goes to show that the movie like the great horse that it depicted Secretariat, who won 16 out of 21 races in his career, wasn't as perfect as we would have liked it to be!