The Cup (2011)

The 2002 Melbourne Cup horse race, brotherly love and the triumph of the human spirit. A true story.

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writers:

Eric O'Keefe (screenplay), Simon Wincer (screenplay)

Stars:

Bryan Martin, Stephen Curry, Jodi Gordon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Martin	...	MC Jockey's Presentation
Stephen Curry	...	Damien Oliver
Jodi Gordon	...	Trish Oliver
Daniel MacPherson	...	Jason Oliver
Alice Parkinson	...	Jenny
Shaun Micallef	...	Lee Freedman (as Shaun Micaleff)
Martin Sacks	...	Neil Pinner
Colleen Hewett	...	Pat Oliver
Andrew Curry	...	Ray Oliver
Meredith Penman	...	Young Pat Oliver
Brendan Gleeson	...	Dermot Weld
Kate Bell	...	Claire
Tom Burlinson	...	Dave Phillips
Nick Simpson-Deeks	...	Pat Smullen
Lewis Fitz-Gerald	...	Sir Michael Smurfit

Storyline

Born into a legendary racing family, jockeys Damien Oliver and his brother, Jason, followed in their father's footsteps. Ray Oliver died tragically in a racing accident when the boys were young. But racing was in their blood, and Damien in particular inherited his father's gifts. His eye was on the greatest championship of them all, the prestigious Melbourne Cup. After years of training, he was ready. Damien would ride the powerful but temperamental Media Puzzle, under the watch of the great Irish trainer Dermot Weld. Some were not so sure about Media Puzzle's chances, but Weld was confident that the great jockey and spirited horse would make an unbeatable combination. As racing day approached, horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, fans and the media from around the globe descended on Melbourne. Weld's fiercest rival, Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown prince of Dubai, sent his best horses, anxious for a Melbourne Cup win. The news channels were filled with talk and speculation about Damien and ...

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Plot Keywords:

race | horse | horse race | biopic | grief | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

13 October 2011 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Gonitwa

Filming Locations:

The Curragh Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

AUD15,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,771,273

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Victoria, Horizon Films, Ingenious Broadcasting

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The owner of Media Puzzle, the champion horse portrayed in this film, Dr. Michael Smurfit, was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jefferson Smurfit Group from 1977, until his retirement in November 2002, the same month that the subject race in this film was held. However, by the time this film was completed in 2011, Smurfit had been created Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in The Queen's Birthday Honors List for June 2005.

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Goofs

In an establishing shot of Melbourne, the finished eureka tower can be seen, when construction of the tower started in 2002 and the exterior of the building wasn't finished until June 2006.

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Quotes

Dermot Weld: I guess we are a little bit like Phar Lap's connections, Saeed. They want us here, they want the prestige we bring, but they definitely don't want us to win. It's not just the prize, it's who they are. You come these shores to race for the Cup, you're up against more than twenty trainers, you're up against the whole of Australia.

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Connections

Referenced in Dancing with the Stars: Episode #10.7 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Get Set
Written by T. Wild
(Mushroom Music Publishing)
Performed by Taxiride
(P) 1999 Warner Music Australia
Licensed courtesy of Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd

User Reviews

Fantastic Movie

How someone could give this a negative review is beyond me. It is a great story and was well acted.

Me thinks the rotten tomatoes people need to go back to their site where their self appointed movie critiquing expertise is welcomed. I generally never watch below a 5.0 as I trust this site but this 4.8 (which is beyond me as it should be in the 7 range) was poorly mis-rated. I was lucky enough to see someone's post that said these people are crazy this is a great movie.

The movie is heart warming....it is a real story and is all around a great watch. You won't be sorry for watching it. Enjoy.