Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

A special preview of this new horse picture was shown at Coral Ridge Mall on Sunday, October 16 2005 at 4:30pm matinee before the scheduled October 21 2005 release date.

I will admit it: I'm a sucker for horse books and films. I used to read all the Black Stallion books when I was younger, and I've always had the fantasy about being a jockey riding a magical horse to win the big race. I even enjoyed the relatively corny Racing Stripes earlier this year, a film about a zebra racing with horses, so I was looking forward to this new Dakota Fanning (the young girl in War of the Worlds) feature about a horse called Sonya.

Dakota's Cale Crane character is a young girl whose father Ben (played by Kurt Russell) trains horses for a living. He brings Cale to a race one day and the horse Sonya falls during the event, breaking her leg. Because his daughter is there, Ben doesn't have the heart to let the veterinarian put the horse down. Due to this decision, he ends up getting fired with the horse part of his severance pay. The rest of the film follows Cale's dream to have Sonya permanently filling a stall in their previously empty horse barn. At one point in the film, we discover Sonya's full name is Soņador, which is Spanish for Dreamer.

The film clearly shows a love for horses. It is better than Racing Stripes, although it likely won't appeal as much to children due to the film's washed out scenes. The story's heart and magic are for the characters who love horses and a father who loves his daughter. I am rating it a good because I enjoyed it, and if this kind of movie appeals to you, you likely will as well.

Please feel free to comment on this review or on the movie itself at the forum thread devoted to it at this location.