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

3 wins & 6 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 | horse racing | horseback riding | horse owner | 

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Taglines:

The Impossible True Story

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | History | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Secretariat

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,694,770, 10 October 2010, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$59,713,955

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,251,371

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

Secretariat's time at Pimlico for the Preakness was originally set at 1:54 2/5. The official clock at Pimlico was having issues that day, and race officials settled on that time. Several racing forum writers with their own clocks had Secretariat at a faster time. At the request of Penny Chenery and the President of Pimlico Tom Chuckas, the Maryland Racing Commission agreed to review the race. On June 19, 2012, the commission officially changed the time for Secretariat's run to 1:53. Secretariat now owns the fastest times for all three Triple Crown races.

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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

Miss Ham: Great colts come from great sires.

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Crazy Credits

Zappa Studios talent for extra work.

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Connections

Referenced in Entourage: Tequila and Coke (2010)

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Soundtracks

My Old Kentucky Home
Written by Stephen Foster
Performed by Tricia Aguirre

User Reviews

Secretariat, U.S. Triple Crown Champion 1973. Penny Chenery, Owner, Housewives Champion.

Secretariat is directed by Randall Wallace and written by Mike Rich and Sheldon Turner. It stars Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Margo Martindale, Amanda Michalka, Dylan Walsh, Scott Glenn, Kevin Connolly, Dylan Baker, James Cromwell and Drew Roy. Music is by Nick Glennie-Smith and cinematography by Dean Semler.

With the success and quality of production that came with 2003's Seabiscuit, it was perhaps inevitable that someone would turn their hand to making a film about a horse that many agree is the greatest American horse of all time. With Disney funding the cash flow and an A list cast assembled, Secretariat the movie is every inch the professional production you would expect. However, thematically it's surprising that the horse is very much secondary to the story of his owner, Penny Chenery (Lane).

Chenery's story as written on the film version page, is a worthy one to tell, for sure. After suffering family bereavements, she stood firm after winning the horse on a coin toss to guide the horse to the greatest of American horse racing triumphs. This in a male dominated sport dominated by chauvinists. Further more, Chenery had to hold her own family together whilst running the Chenery ranch. Inspirational woman for sure, and Lane is naturally steely in the role, but there just isn't great human interest drama crafted by director Wallace to warrant the film being primarily about the good lady.

Naturally, when the horse racing takes centre stage it's gripping and exciting, the race segments very well filmed, but we already knew that Secretariat was an awesome horse, how he got to be that way isn't known to us. Malkovich plays trainer Lucien Laurin with moody flamboyance, but we see next to nothing of his training of the horse! It's one of the many oversights that stop the film competing with Seabiscuit. It may seem unfair to compare the two, but the makers of Seabiscuit got the blend right whilst cleaving close to the facts to tell their story.

There's also the controversy factor, the fudging of the facts to suit the makers ends, where some characterisations have been pointedly argued to be incorrect and a deviation from truths to the point we don't have the real story of what made Secretariat so great. Whilst it spins a rags to riches story when in reality it wasn't, Riva Ridge anyone? Where's the Preakness clocking controversy? These facts would have boosted the film no end, but I guess this is the price we pay for having Disney funding the film supposedly about the magnificent beast in the title.

Come the home straight the music does swirl and the cheers go loud, and undeniably the uplift factor takes a hand, but there's too much wrong all told to make this a great picture. I have to say it, go watch Seabiscuit instead. 6.5/10