Secretariat

Movie: Secretariat

Cast: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Fred Dalton Thompson, James Cromwell

Genre: Drama

I saw it on: October 14, October 28, and  November 15, 2010

Synopsis: Diane Lane plays Penny Chenery.  Penny inherits her father’s horse farm when he dies.  One of her mares gives birth to Secretariat.  The movie follows her never-ending battle against her husband and brother who are determined to make her sell the farms and horses – while she wants to race Secretariat.  We get to watch Secretariat from birth all the way through the Triple Crown.

My two cents: My favorite movie – so far – of 2010.  What Penny Chenery achieved is impressive in its own right.  But to achieve it in the 70’s makes it amazing.  I cannot recommend this movie enough.  Even though I knew that Secretariat won the Triple Crown, I found myself getting worked up for each race of the crown – even on my third viewing of the movie.  The race at Belmont is one of the most amazing movie sequences I have seen. For “True Blood” fans, watch for the character Eddie Sweat – the guy that does the daily feeding and care of Secretariat.

This is absolutely a must-see movie.  This is also one of those movies that is better on the big screen with big speakers.  That is the only way to really capture the power and majesty of the horses in the races.