| You have to wonder just how many times a movie like this can be remade before people just get plain sick and tired of them. But Dreamer plays to the age old dreams of little girls (and some boys) everywhere, and it's wholesome entertainment with enough big name actors to keep the imaginations of the parents alive in the theatre as well. In this case, the "inspired by a true story" addendum is slapped on to the title to remind us of a horse named Mariah's Storm that accomplished between 1993 and 1995 the exact feat we are presented with in Dreamer: a promising horse that breaks its leg in a race (an all-too-common occurrence in the modern age of cortisone shots for horses... but that's a whole other controversy) but is mended against all odds to win a major race for its destitute owner. For the purposes of good moviemaking, you throw in a little girl, a mysterious grandparent (Dakota Fanning and Kris Kristofferson rarely hurt any film they're in), a resolute Kurt Russell, and hope the script works. First-time director John Gatins is also the first-time screenwriter, and indications from the critics are that the film plays exactly as it should to the right audience. The beautiful setting of Kentucky as well as the feel-good nature of the story would merit the ultimate in pastoral scores, and while Hollywood veteran John Debney seems like the perfect choice for the project, Gatins was originally slated to employ Jan AP Kaczmarek for Dreamer. Perhaps choosing Kaczmarek simply ... |
