The Secretariat Review
This is the story about Penny Chenery (Diane Lane), a housewife in the seventies, living in Denver with her husband and four children (ages 10 to 17). When Penny agreed to take over her ailing father’s stable in Virginia, her life dramatically changed. She not only took care of her family in Denver, but she also managed her father’s stable, and fostered the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years. Her horse, Secretariat, is still known today to be the greatest racehorse of all time.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: January 25, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: Any age
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
I’ve heard people say that if you like animals, you’ll like this movie. I’m not a huge animal lover (though I love my dog), but I loved this movie. Even though we all know the ending, it’s still a thrilling sports movie, one I would compare to “The Blind Side.”
The characters are very likable; Starting with the owner and comical trainer (John Malkovich), the stable’s secretary ( who named Secretariat), the very loving and sweet groomer, the jockey, and of course, Secretariat.
There are many messages throughout the movie. It would have been easy for Penny to sell the farm once her father passed away. However, with Penny’s strong determination and faith, she not only saved the family farm, but her horse set records, that still thirty-seven years later have not been broken. Penny say’s her father’s legacy is “ Do everything you can to win, and live with it if you can’t.”
Penny sacrificed a lot to obtain her goal. She left her husband and children in Denver for weeks at a time. In one scene she tearfully listened to her daughter’s play over the phone, that was sad. Though Penny was a loving and supportive mother, I didn’t always agree with her leaving her family. However, in the end she taught her children a valuable lesson; “Believe in yourself.” Her children were very proud of their mom, and found her a to be their ideal role model. Her husband, who wasn’t always supportive, said, “You taught the children what a real woman is, you taught me something too.”
This movie is rated PG. This is a wholesome family movie for all ages. There are no sexual scenes or references, and very mild profanity. I recommend this for the whole family.
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