Slow, stately, majestic, visually splendrous, blatantly sentimental and profoundly old-fashioned, Seabiscuit’s curiously antiquated charm might just make it a dark horse (sorry!) to sneak up on the rails and claim Oscar glory by a short head.
Very clearly made with one eye on the Academy Awards, Seabiscuit is extremely easy on the eye, with a range of beautiful sweeping panoramic views of the vast Depression-era heartlands, allied to a magnificent-looking racehorse and a typically puppy-eyed performance from the well-named Tobey Maguire, who once again spends the movie’s duration looking like he needs to be patted on the head and thrown a bone to fetch.
Maguire plays real-life 1930’s American jockey Red Pollard, who rode into immortality on the back of a gimpy-limbed, temperamental nag named Seabiscuit, whose improbable triumph against the odds has long since attained the status of legend in America’s insular sporting culture. Jeff Bridges plays the beast’s millionaire owner, while the gnarled-looking Chris Cooper plays its trainer, and the creature itself hogs the camera like a born movie-star.
In spite of the obvious difficulties posed by the jockey’s half-blindness and the trotter’s wonky legs, our horsey hero evades the glue factory and gallops to glory. He takes an absolute lifetime getting there – at 142 minutes, Seabiscuit seriously isn’t recommended to anyone in a rush – but between the three fine central performances and the highly congenial scenery, there’s much about Seabiscuit to admire and even enjoy.
Racing Post movie of the year. Probably.