Seabiscuit (2003)

True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.

Director:

Gary Ross

Writers:

Laura Hillenbrand (book), Gary Ross (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Tobey Maguire

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David McCullough	...	Narrator
Jeff Bridges	...	Charles Howard
Paul Vincent O'Connor	...	Bicycle Supervisor
Chris Cooper	...	Tom Smith
Michael Ensign	...	Steamer Owner
James Keane	...	Car Customer
Valerie Mahaffey	...	Annie Howard
David Doty	...	Land Broker
Carl M. Craig	...	Sam (as Kingston DuCoeur)
Michael O'Neill	...	Mr. Pollard
Annie Corley	...	Mrs. Pollard
Michael Angarano	...	Young Red Pollard
Cameron Bowen	...	Pollard Child
Noah Luke	...	Pollard Child
Mariah Bess	...	Pollard Child

Storyline

It's the Depression, and everyone needs to hold onto a dream to get them through the bad times. Car maker Charles Howard is no different, he who is trying to rebuild his life after the tragic death of his only child and the resulting end of his first marriage. With second wife Marcela at his side, Charles wants to get into horse racing and ends up with a team of underdogs who are also chasing their own dream. The first is trainer Tom Smith, who has a natural instinct to spot the capabilities of horses. The second is the horse Tom chooses for Charles, Seabiscuit, an unconventional choice as despite his pedigreed lineage, Seabiscuit is small at fifteen and a half hands tall with a slight limp. But Tom can see something in Seabiscuit's nature to make him a winner, if only Seabiscuit can be retrained from his inbred losing ways. And third is the jockey they decide to hire, Johnny "Red" Pollard, so nicknamed because of his hair color. Like Tom, Red has always shown a natural way with ...

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Plot Keywords:

seabiscuit | horse | jockey | horse racing | admiral | 

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Taglines:

The hopes of a nation rode on a long shot.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual situations and violent sports-related images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alma de héroes

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$87,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$630,766 (Japan) (23 January 2004)

Gross:

$4,439,434 (Japan) (27 February 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Spyglass Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Stevens and Chris McCarron are both successful professional jockeys, both having won the Kentucky Derby and Breeder's Cup races. McCarron retired a couple months before accepting the role of Charles Kurtsinger.

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Goofs

During the scene where Seabiscuit is being worked out after recuperating from his injury, Charles Howard sees Tick-Tock McLaughlin in the stands, reading a paper. The paper switches back and forth from being closed to opened as the camera moves back and forth between them.

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Quotes

Red Pollard: Morning.
Tom Smith: What's all this?
[motions towards pile of boxes Red is sitting on]
Red Pollard: It's beer! From an admiring public, pretty good too, more in there.
[indicates Seabiscuit's stall]
Tom Smith: [looks in stall] Where's the horse?
Red Pollard: [amused smile] Signing autographs.

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Connections

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Albur de Amor"
Written by Alfonso Esparza Oteo (as Alfonso Esparza Otero)
Performed by Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles
Courtesy of Serenata Records

User Reviews

When Losers Have a Second Chance to Become Winners

After the American Depression, the millionaire Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) gets married again with Marcela (Elizabeth Banks) and decides to invest in a race horse. He gathers the old couch Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), the problematic jockey Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire) and the horse Seabiscuit, all of them losers, and he believes on them, giving a second chance to them. Seabiscuit becomes a winner and legend in a difficult period of the American life. "Seabiscuit" is a beautiful film with positive and wonderful messages. Charles Howard has the best lines, such as: "When the little guy doesn't know that he is little, he is capable of big things"; or, "Sometimes all somebody needs is a second chance". The excellent and underrated actor Chris Cooper has probably his best performance along his career. Although having 141 minutes running time, the viewer does not feel time passing. I particularly liked not only the direction, performances, locations and reconstitution of a period, but mainly the never corny and very positive messages in the excellent lines and screenplay. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Seabiscuit – Alma de Herói" ("Seabiscuit – Soul of Hero")