Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

John Gatins

Writer (WGA):

John Gatins (written by)

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Sport

Plot:

Cale Crane catalyzes the rescue and rehabilitation of Sonador, a race horse with a broken leg.

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Kentucky | Horse Racing | School | Father Daughter Relationship

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Ben Crane
Dakota Fanning	...	Cale Crane
Kris Kristofferson	...	Pop Crane
Elisabeth Shue	...	Lily
David Morse	...	Palmer
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Manolin
Luis Guzmán	...	Balon
Oded Fehr	...	Prince Sadir
Ken Howard	...	Bill Ford
Holmes Osborne	...	Doc Fleming
Antonio Albadran	...	Prince Tariq
John Moyer	...	Security Officer
Kayren Butler	...	Teacher
Tommy Barnes	...	Short Steward
Frank Hoyt Taylor	...	Chairman

Also Known As:

Dreamer (Australia) (TV title)
Untitled Kurt Russell/Dakota Fanning Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief mild language.

Runtime:

106 min | Canada:98 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:PG | Canada:G (all jurisdictions) | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/6 | Netherlands:MG6 | USA:PG (certificate #41758) | Malaysia:U | Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | South Korea:All | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

Frankfort, Kentucky, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

When Cale and Ben go to Ashford Stud to check out the studs, the stallions they are naming, such as Fusaichi Pegasus, Giant's Causeway, Johannesburg and Grand Slam, are real horses who actually stand at Ashford. However, the actual stallions were not used in filming. Stand-ins were placed in their stalls instead.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Ben, Cale and Pop pull into the prince's driveway, you can see a stationary SUV on the road behind them.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cale Crane: There used to be horses in that barn. At least, that's what my Grandfather says. We're probably the only horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky, that doesn't have one horse. Not one.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Little Red Riding Hood (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

Dreamer

A Nutshell Review: Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

The premise of this movie is so similar to 2003's Seabiscuit, you'd think you're watching yet another biography of a real horse in some extraordinary, inspiring film that might just make you want to head down to the nearest race course and observe a real race.

But Dreamer (or Sonador as the horse is named) takes a slightly different angle in this tale about second chances and comebacks. If compared to Seabiscuit, yes, we have a horse with great potential faced with the troubles of breaking a leg during a competitive race. As with all race horses, this means instant death, as they have no future value, and are bred for the sole purpose of racing.

We also have a superb trainer, Ben Crane, played by Kurt Russell, and the doctor (Holmes Osborne), the written-off jockey (Freddy Rodriguez), the stable-hand (Luis Guzman), etc. But here's where the similarities end. Dreamer is a more personal film, with family friendly characters, like the daughter (Dakota Fanning), the wife (Elizabeth Shue), and the grandfather (Kris Kristofferson). Nursing the horse back to health had actually brought the family closer together, and that in itself makes this film quite cliché in its many "been-there-done-that" before moments to touch.

Dakota Fanning has held her own against "father-figure" heavyweights like Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, and Tom Cruise, though many would have pointed out that she had rivaled Naomi Watts for the 2005 Scream Queen honors with her performance in War of the Worlds. Here, Fanning has returned to more credible acting, albeit in a safer role.

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, is a heartwarming tale about believing in oneself, having dreams, believing that you can achieve, and take action to achieve those dreams. While watching the movie, I can't help but chuckle at the parallels in seeing how my team and I are sticking together, just like those characters, in wanting to see our dream of making a short film, and entering it into competitions (in this case, the Breeder's Cup) come to a reality.

It's that kind of film, an inspiring one. It might be clichéd, the premise might be too good to be true, but hey, success might come to those who dare to dream, believe, and more importantly, do.