Dreamer

It would be difficult to fashion a more formulaic heart-tugging girl-and-her-horse story than Dreamer. When a promising filly breaks its leg, a down-and-out horse breeder turned trainer (Kurt Russell) gives up his salary in return for the mare, which he intends to use for breeding. The new owner's precocious daughter (Dakota Fanning) bonds with the animal, and though it turns out to be incapable of bearing offspring, the leg heals so well that the horse is able to race again. Will it be pitted against its former owner's prize stallion in a big race? Will it win and literally save the farm? Did I mention that nursing the horse back to health also reunites the new owner with his estranged father (Kris Kristofferson), a horseman of the old school disappointed in his son? Or that the horse's recovery offers a second chance to a Latino jockey-turned-trainer whose confidence had been undermined by a previous accident? This accumulation of clichés makes Dreamer—inspired by the actual tale of a filly called Mariah's Storm, which came back from a 1993 injury to race again—such an old-fashioned and manipulative family flick that you might think it's a fine candidate for the Hollywood glue factory. But it does have some winning scenes and a strong cast, and the cinematography beautifully captures the rich, green-and-brown locations in Kentucky and Louisiana. Optional. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director John Gatins, a 17-minute “Meet the Dreamer Dream Cast” featurette, “On-the-Set: Working with Thoroughbreds” (11 min.), a “Trackslide Live” TV interview with Gatins (9 min.), two deleted scenes (6 min.), a six-minute “Taking Care of Horses” featurette, the five-minute segment “Who Is Mariah's Storm?” on the racehorse that inspired the film, the “Dreamer” music video by Bethany Dillon, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven but mostly winning family film.] (F. Swietek)