Secretariat (2010)

Penny Chenery Tweedy and colleagues guide her long-shot but precocious stallion to set, in 1973, the unbeaten record for winning the Triple Crown.

Director:

Randall Wallace

Writers:

Mike Rich, William Nack (book)

Stars:

Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Margo Martindale

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diane Lane	...	Penny Chenery
John Malkovich	...	Lucien Laurin
Dylan Walsh	...	Jack Tweedy
Margo Martindale	...	Miss Ham
Nelsan Ellis	...	Eddie Sweat
Otto Thorwarth	...	Ronnie Turcotte
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Bull Hancock
James Cromwell	...	Ogden Phipps
Scott Glenn	...	Chris Chenery
Michael Harding	...	E.V. Benjamin (as Mike Harding)
Richard Fullerton	...	Robert Kleburg
Tim Ware	...	John Galbreath
Nestor Serrano	...	Pancho Martin
Keith Austin	...	Laffit Pincay
Kevin Connolly	...	Bill Nack

Storyline

Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery -- with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin -- manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years.

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Plot Keywords:

triple crown | horse racing | stallion | eccentric | inherited responsibility | 

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Taglines:

The Impossible True Story

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Genres:

Drama | Family | History | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

A paripa

Filming Locations:

Churchill Downs - 700 Central Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£40,941 (UK) (3 December 2010)

Gross:

$59,699,513 (USA) (4 February 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Fast Track Productions, Mayhem Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Triple Crown trophy seen after the 3rd race is the actual trophy, not a replica. It was loaned to the production by the Kentucky Derby Museum, and was human-accompanied on the trip from museum to film set and back.

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Goofs

When they are training for the Belmont, Penny Chenery is shown to be turning towards the left to lean her back on the railing while saying her line about how Pancho thinks they are training too hard. The shot cuts to a camera on the left, and we see the whole turn again from that angle.

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Quotes

Chris Chenery: It's not whether they think we won. It's whether we think we won.

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Connections

Referenced in Entourage: Tequila and Coke (2010)

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Soundtracks

"I Am Free"
Written by Randall Wallace and Nick Glennie-Smith
Produced and Performed by Nick Glennie-Smith

User Reviews

Big Red with Wings

Greetings again from the darkness. The story of Secretariat is legendary in the world of thoroughbred racing. Being a sports fan, it is always fascinating to witness domination by a singular athlete - Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer. Secretariat was the Michael Jordan of racing. In 1973, Big Red dominated racing like no other.

What makes this even more amazing is that Secretariat is actually the second most interesting story ... his owner, Penny Chenery Tweedy (played here by Diane Lane), was his match in competitive spirit. This Disney movie actually spends as much time on Ms. Tweedy as it does the fabulous horse.

Disney does what Disney does best. This is an all out feel-good, rah-rah movie in the vein of "Seabiscuit", "The Rookie", "Rudy" and even "Hoosiers". Don't expect in-depth analysis of the racing world or horse training or even horse farm operations. This movie is made to deliver a warm fuzzy via the perseverance of a strong-willed lady and an incredibly majestic animal.

Expect some over-the-top touches such as John Malkovich's portrayal of trainer Lucen Laurin, horse-whispering by Ms. Lane, and plenty of heart-string tugging as is customary from the fine folks at Disney. Expect historical facts to be treated a bit lax in some scenes (no mention of 1972 Derby winner Riva Ridge, also from the Chenery stables). Expect none of that to matter as this is a crowd-pleaser, not a documentary.

In addition to Mr. Malkovich and Ms. Lane, there is some fine support work from Fred Thompson, James Cromwell and Nelsan Ellis (so great as Lafayette in True Blood). Directed by Randall Wallace, whose most recent directorial effort was 2002's "We Were Soldiers", this is entertainment for all ages and an easy introduction to the champion that was Secretariat.