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:

Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 37 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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

horse movie | animal character name as title | seabiscuit | horse | jockey | 

---

Taglines:

The true story of a long shot who became a legend.

---

Genres:

Drama | History | Sport

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

A 2017 Nespresso commercial features George Clooney hitching rides with Kermit and Fozzie in The Muppet Movie (1979), with Janet Leigh in Psycho (1960), with Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit (1977), with John Candy in Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), as well as riding Peter Fonda's motorcycle from Easy Rider (1969), and the eponymous horse from this film. The thirty-second version omits Leigh, Candy, and Fonda.

---

Goofs

When Pollard is being dragged by the runaway horse, his right foot is caught in the left stirrup. Not possible, unless he were riding backwards.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: They called it the car for Everyman. Henry Ford himself called it a car for the "great multitude." It was functional and simple, like your sewing machine or your cast-iron stove. You could learn to drive it in less than a day, and you could get any color you wanted, so long as it was black.
Narrator: When Ford first conceived the Model T, it took thirteen hours to assemble. Within five years he was turning out a vehicle every 90 seconds. Of course, the real invention wasn't the car, it was ...

---

Connections

Referenced in Parks and Recreation: Leslie and Ben (2013)

---

Soundtracks

There's a New Day Comin'
Written by Milton Ager, Joe Young
Performed by Ted Lewis and His Orchestra
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Sea of emotion!

"Sea Biscuit" is a story about a long shot horse and a man who discover each other on the road to equestrian glory. An extremely rewarding journey though the lives of man and beast. Every aspect of human emotion, bonding and courage is explored with an "equine" tinge. Set in a time when horse racing is more passion than business, Seabiscuit glorifies the positive appeal of horse racing. Every derby event is an emotional doorway which lifts your spirits. Be it the Santa Anita or the Pimilco, you are just just hanging on the edge of your seat praying, vying and hoping for a Seabiscuit win. Such is the emotional grasp and visual brilliance of Gary Ross's direction and Scwartzman's cinematography. Being a thoroughbred race horse by birth, Seabiscuit treads the race track under the watchful eyes of trainer Tom Smith (played by Chris Cooper) and jockey Red Poddard (played by Tobey Mcguire). What follows is a sequence of predictable vicissitudes. Why! This movie wasn't advertised in the mystery genre either!

A frail looking (really) Tobey manages to deeply bond with the horse at least on screen, kudos indeed. Nobody else could have possibly fit into his role as well as he did, physically too. Chris Cooper is the silent marvel. There is a completely subtle tinge to his acting which lays low, yet beautifully exuberates class. Seabiscuit is simply one of those "silent' movies which just hurtles you beyond imaginable frontiers. Sit back and relax and let the long shot consume you.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seabiscuit

Filming Locations:

Lacy Street Production Center - 2630 Lacy Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$87,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,854,735, 27 July 2003

Gross USA:

$120,277,854

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$148,336,445

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1