It's only been a couple of months since America held its breath waiting to see if Funny Cide would be the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown and the first gelding to ever earn such an honor. There was a sense that this horse, gelded for health reasons, might gain the glory normally reserved for stallions. Further, the everydayness of the owners, six high school buddies, made the normally elitist sport approachable to all of us.

It was the same for Seabiscuit back in the '30s in a depression torn country where there was little to dream about. People had no money and no prospects. Yet, improbable as it may seem, hope came in the shape of an ugly little horse named Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit's temperament is more like a border collie than a horse--he'd prefer to eat and sleep than do anything else, but given a challenge, he'll rise to the occasion. He's the ultimate underdog--he comes from nowhere to beat amazing odds and raises the spirits of an entire country.

Unfortunately, the film is not so much about the horse as the people who control him. There's the owner--a millionaire Buick dealer, who suffers a personal tragedy that causes him to re-evaluate the value of life. The trainer, quite the whacky one who saves horses about to be shot saying that there's no need to take a life just because it has a few bumps. And the jockey, who has more than his share of bumps. He's bigger than a jockey should be, blind in one eye, and has a penchant for fighting.

It's this weird trio that bring Seabiscuit to the race world and have incredible success with him, rallying their own drooping spirits and those of all the people who hear the story.

I like all the pieces of this film, but found myself not quite buying the whole. Jeff Bridges is great as Seabiscuit's owner, Charles Hamilton. Chris Cooper shows us all over again why he has an Oscar on his mantel with a brilliant performance as the trainer Tom Smith. And Toby Maguire is appealing as Seabiscuit's jockey, Red Pollard. William H. Macy has a wonderful role as the quirky sports' commentator who brings Seabiscuit's fame to a wide audience.

I found myself left less than engrossed by the many horse races. They are essential, of course, since that's the matter of the film. But somehow, the close up conversations and interactions between jockey's feels as staged as it is. The music is similarly contrived--there's only so many horn and string crescendos that we can take before it becomes tired.

I liked Seabiscuit, really I did. I just thought it was rather sanctimonious. The film takes itself all too seriously. If we believe the tone of the narration, this horse single-hoofedly brought the country out of the depression. Seabiscuit is well worth a look.


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