Horseracing has the reputation of being a sport ruled by and mainly for the wealthy — those unencumbered by the pesky constraints of regular, office-bred employment. As the relatively recent critical and crossover screen success of Seabiscuit proved, though, the same general rules of other underdog movies apply to tales of uplift set in the world of horseracing. The new family drama Dreamer is a bit less of an overt sports movie (it’s equally if not foremost about reconciliation and settlement), but it’s no less of a film than director Gary Ross’ 2003 Best Picture Oscar nominee, and in many ways much more of one. At once familiar and fresh, Dreamer is a stirring and heartfelt film that scores courtesy of a simple and sincere emotional investment in the material. long ago gave up on many of his own dreams as a horseman and now works as a trainer, helping make other men’s fortunes in stakes races. Ben lives on a slightly run-down farm with his wife Lilly (Elisabeth Shue), their daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning) and his semi-estranged father, Pop (Kris Kristofferson), who mostly keeps to himself in the nearby guesthouse. When promising young filly Sonya is brought down in a race by a career-ending broken leg, Ben balks at putting her to sleep in front of Cale, and gets into an altercation with his boss Everett (David Morse, perfectly smarmy).<BR><BR>Given his walking papers and Sonya as severance pay, Ben starts nursing the horse back to health with the help of his two loyal friends, jockey Manolin (Freddy Rodriguez) and stable manager Balon (Luis Guzman). Their idea is to hopefully breed Sonya when she’s in good enough shape, but the discovery of her infertility throws a wrench in those plans. Devastated and on the brink of financial ruin, Ben doesn’t know what to do.<BR><BR>Cale, meanwhile, develops a strong bond with Sonya, and so Ben — sensing in his daughter traces of his own headstrong, youthful inquisitiveness — lets her take a more central role in Sonya’s training, even though at first he remains skeptical of the horse’s chances at rehabilitation as a racer. As Sonya gets stronger and stronger, though, and does well in a stakes race, the Crane family grows closer and closer, Ben’s strained relationship with his own father bridged by their mutual hope for Sonya in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Classic.<BR><BR>Writer-director John Gatins, like Sonya herself, is a long-shot success story for this type of film, <STRONG>based loosely on the real-life tale of Mariah’s Storm</STRONG>, who fractured a left front cannon bone in 1993 but came back to win several races, including the Turfway Breeders’ Cup, two years later. Gatins cut his teeth writing or co-writing a number of telegraphed but genuine sports-minded flicks for producers Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins, including among them <EM>Varsity Blues</EM>, <EM>Summer Catch</EM>, <EM>Hardball</EM> and <EM>Coach Carter</EM>.<BR><BR>Filmed on location in the middle of Kentucky’s famed Bluegrass region, <STRONG><EM>Dreamer</EM> feels completely of a piece, expertly put together</STRONG>. The race sequences are smartly choreographed and crisply shot, but not bloated to the point that they distract from the main focus on the familial friction. In his directorial debut, Gatins showcases <STRONG>a disarmingly engaging less-is-more approach</STRONG>, wisely giving wide berth to his actors and nursing an impressive amount of audience doubt and uncertainty in the face of such a potentially staid and formulaic “comeback” narrative. In an era when so many first-time directors feel it necessary to make an impression through flashy or otherwise mannered stylistic choices, Gatins knows that simplicity best serves his story here.<BR><BR><STRONG>It’s the performances, though, that help elevate <EM>Dreamer</EM> from merely credible to truly uplifting</STRONG>. By leaps and bounds the best child actor working today, Fanning delivers another solid turn. Russell, too, is wonderfully effective; reading aloud at a parents’ school night a thinly veiled story Cale has written about an uncertain king and his horse, Russell takes what could in the hands of a lesser actor be an opportunity for corny monologue showboating and makes it a moving scene about the restorative powers of family and faithfulness. Consider us moved, truly.<BR><BR>Presented in a 2.40:1 widescreen transfer that preserves the wide aspect ratio of its initial theatrical exhibition, <EM>Dreamer</EM> is the rare movie that has genuine, galloping big screen scope (via the racing sequences) and <STRONG>an intimacy only enhanced through a quiet, curled-up home viewing</STRONG>. There’s no grain or edge enhancement, and the image is a pristine one, from the specks of flying dirt in the stakes races to some of the wide-angle pastorals of the Crane family farm. Meanwhile, English and French language Dolby digital 5.1 mixes anchor <EM>Dreamer</EM>, and offer superb use of rear channels during the races, plus subtle atmospheric elements during quieter moments, such as when Cale abets Sonya’s rehabilitation by sneaking her popsicles and chocolate cake late at night. Dialogue is crisp and clear, and the din of equine competitiveness never swallows John Debney’s dependable score or the call of the race. An English Dolby digital 2.0 surround sound mix is also available, as well as optional subtitles in English, Spanish and French.<BR><BR>Housed in a single-disc Amaray case, <STRONG><EM>Dreamer</EM> also includes a nicely balanced slate of extras</STRONG> that will only enhance its reputation as Fanning grows into what is sure to be a long-lasting and highly successful adult career. A music video from Bethany Dillon is completely extraneous, but <STRONG>two meaty deleted scenes offer a substantial look at the streamlined effectiveness of Gatins’ screenplay and directorial vision</STRONG>. While a lot of films are littered with excised bits and ends, these two scenes run two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half minutes apiece, respectively. The latter features Ben going to Everett to humbly ask for his old job back; though rightly cut, it offers further insight and shading as to his character, and provides additional motivation for Cale, who slips out of her father’s truck to witness the end of the exchange. The other scene is an exchange between Cale and her father — partly sweet, partly gruff and standoffish — in which she gently plies him for details of his grudge and grievance with her grandfather before expertly assaying the situation after he blows up by saying, “I’m 11, but you act like it.” I really would’ve liked to see this scene included, the film’s current 106-minute running time notwithstanding.<BR><BR><STRONG>Two production featurettes rate 17 and 11 minutes, respectively, and are models of rationalized efficiency</STRONG>. Typical laudatory cast interviews are included, but each and every member also has some very interesting things to say about the subject matter, from the intuitiveness of jockeys to what they learned about racing. Gatins and producer Mike Tollin are especially effective here at communicating the movie’s themes and detail. You also learn of some affectionate, behind-the-scenes nicknames (Gatins calls his young charge “Bette” because he says she has Bette Davis eyes, while Fanning calls her director “Gator” in return), and get to relive the day Russell got grazed in the head by an errant hoof. Other extras include a five-minute featurette on Mariah’s Storm, the horse whose history dovetails with that of the fictional So¿ador; a six-minute featurette on taking care of horses; and a nine-minute snippet from Trackside Live that includes race footage and a pre-release interview with Gatins.<BR><BR>Again, not to put too fine a point on it, but <STRONG><EM>Dreamer</EM> is an exp<br />
ertly crafted little film that didn’t fully get its due in theaters</STRONG>. If you like horses or racing, there’s certainly enough of that herein to satisfy your jones, but if on the other hand you’re typically put off by such narratives there’s still enough else going on to easily recommend this well acted story of familial reconnection. The term “classic” with regards to movies is frequently perverted and twisted, even more so these days by the clamor of box office reporting, but rest assured that <EM>Dreamer</EM> will come by its earnest reputation honestly and sincerely, if a bit slowly. A hard-charging underdog, it wins in the end. <STRONG>A- (Movie) A- (Disc)</STRONG></FONT></p>
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