First Movie Reveiw

Summary:

This story has been told dozens of time before. It's the typical 'poor' kid competing against the spoiled rich kid. Now I'm not writing off the movie as bad. But it is a bit cliché. The basic story is Patrick McCardle (Zac Efron) wants to be a jockey and ride in Steeple Chase. But his father wants him to be a baseball player like him. The next part is very cliché. He knows an old horse trainer named Houston Jones ( Bill Cobbs) who had previously won the derby. He also has a rival, Randy Adams (Mike Nardelli) who has it all. And what would be a movie without romance (I hate when they do this). A new girl has moved in to town named Jill Overton (Crystal Hunt). Patrick is torn between what he wants and what his father wants.

The Good:

Patrick loves his family and is dedicated to what he is doing. He stands up for Houston when Randy and his friend Donald (Colton James) vandalize his property. His parents have a healthy relationship and try to give wise council to Patrick. Patrick is a good influence on Houston and vise versa. Houston encourages hard work and has Patrick help around the farm. Jill tells Patrick that if he wants a good relationship with his Dad he has to talk to him. Later they have a talk and his father tells him he's proud of what he is doing. (SPOILER) After Houston's death Patrick decides to quit but, Jill gives Patrick a letter that she found when she was in Houston's house. So he decides to go and do the race.(SPOILER)

The Bad:

Patrick is not the most respectful person to his parents. He tells his dad that he won't always be 'under his roof' after he gets scolded for missing curfew. He gets bullied by Randy Adams and Donald. They don't hit each other ( except when Randy pushes Patrick during the race) but they call each other names. Also Houston calls Randy a spoiled brat and Randy mouths off to him. Randy also is VERY rude to his trainer. He flirts with Jill and then stomps off after she refuses to go on a date. Not to mention Winning is emphasized in this film a bit too much.

The Ugly:

There are few minor swears and God's name is taken in vain. Jill wears some clothes that are tight and a bit low cut. You see Patrick and Jill kiss at the end of the film. At the race Donald has few girls hanging around him. Randy disables Patrick's car in an effort to win.

Conclusion:

This is a pretty good movie. I like it but then again I like practically anything that has to do with horses. I would've like it a lot more if they omitted the romance. But of course they left it in. I wouldn't recommend the movie to everyone due to every one's different convictions. If you watch this movie and there is any thing that I didn't say in here I would like it if you left a comment.

Alexa