Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005)

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

Director:

John Gatins

Writer:

John Gatins

Stars:

Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Oded Fehr

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Badrani	...	Prince Tariq (as Antonio Albadran)
John Moyer	...	Security Officer
Kayren Butler	...	Teacher
Tommy Barnes	...	Short Steward
Frank Hoyt Taylor	...	Chairman

Storyline

Ben Crane believes that a severely injured racehorse deserves another chance. He and his daughter Cale adopt the horse (in fact is a mare)and save it of being sacrificed by the owner. The arrival of the mare to Crane's farm, will be the perfect opportunity for both father and daughter to reconstruct their lost familiar bond. "Soñador" (Dreamer in English), the renamed mare, despite its broken leg, maybe could have another chance to return to the racecourse, with the help of Cale, Ben, and his father, Pop.

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Plot Keywords:

racehorse | kentucky | horse racing | based on true story | horse | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Dreamworks Official site [Russia]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Kurt Russell/Dakota Fanning Project

Filming Locations:

Folsom, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,178,233, 23 October 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$32,701,088, 1 January 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks,Hyde Park Entertainment,Tollin/Robbins Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While doing research in Kentucky, John Gatins came upon a vet, who told him about a racehorse, who miraculously made a comeback, after a serious injury.

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Goofs

In the scene where Cale and her father are talking about the 3 mares that Pop Crane had kept, you do not see a horse trailer in the field behind Cale. As they are talking a horse trailer suddenly appears behind Cale in the field.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Little Red Riding Hood (2009)

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Soundtracks

Dreamer
Written by Bethany Dillon and Ed Cash
Performed by Bethany Dillon
Bethany Dillon appears courtesy of Sparrow Records
By Arrangement with EMI Film & TV Music

User Reviews

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.