SEABISCUIT (2003) Adapted from Laura Hillebrand’s bestseller, this summer hit tells the story of the underdog racehorse whose remarkable success during the 1930s inspired an entire nation. But just as importantly, it also relates the very human story of three individuals — Seabiscuit’s owner (Jeff Bridges), trainer (Chris Cooper) and jockey (Tobey Maguire) — who all possessed the inner fortitude to overcome extreme handicaps, and on top of that it further provides a glimpse of a country reeling from the Depression and its attempts to right itself. That’s a tall order for one movie to fill, and if the picture occasionally seems to have bitten off more than it can chew, it’s a forgivable sin, since writer-director Gary Ross (Pleasantville) does a decent job of getting us involved in the plights of its characters, regardless of what’s happening in the world around them. “My horse is too small, my jockey’s too big, my trainer’s too old, and I’m too stupid to know the difference!” cracks Bridges’ millionaire to the press, and indeed, it’s a peculiar grouping — the odd couple squared. But it’s in the very eccentricities of its characters (including the animal) where the movie derives most of its power. The filmmaking in itself is rather conventional — lots of burnished shots by cinematographer John Schwartzman, a score (by Randy Newman) that’s swathed in uplifting Americana strains, plenty of scripted homilies about can-do Yankee perseverance — yet the players themselves have a hungry determination that transcends their foibles and makes their exploits all the more inspiring. Odd for a Universal DVD, there’s no DTS option, and among the bonus materials is an accursed commercial (for MasterCard). More palatable extras include a making-of feature, vintage newsreel footage of the real Seabiscuit, and an interesting piece in which Ross breaks down the creation of a particular sequence.
Movie: 
Extras: 1/2
This article appears in Dec 31, 2003 – Jan 6, 2004.
