Amazon.ca:Customer reviews: Seabiscuit [Blu-ray]

Top positive review

A light dusting of history with your entertainment

Reviewed in Canada on September 8, 2021

I had seen this movie before many years ago but I forgot about the way the story intersects with the 1930s in the USA. Historical film footage is interspersed with new to tell the story of a little horse that brings hope to a nation in distress. The actors are top-notch and they tell the story well, as they must because you get a long way in before the horse makes his appearance! An uplifting tale with endearing characters and excellent camera work that makes you feel like you're right in there with the jockeys in every race.

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Fernando

Be careful

Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2016

This simply had region 2 beside the title which I didn't even concern myself with because there was no description. I found out the hard way when I couldn't play it. A simple sentence by the vendor could have prevented this. I have a DVD I can't use1

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MJB

Good movie

Reviewed in Canada on November 23, 2020

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It have been on TV before but still nice to have in my collection.

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Kim Bruneau

Wowwww loved it!

Reviewed in Canada on March 15, 2022

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Very interesting movie! We loved it!

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SHERKANN

Good

Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2019

Good

Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2018

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Nice to see the real race horse in this documentary.

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Elaine

Seabiscuit

Reviewed in Canada on April 13, 2013

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We had to watch this on our Blu-ray player but it worked well and I am glad I could get this movie.

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Brenda Underhill

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2014

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Excellent movie

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Gregor von Kallahann

Like Seabiscuit himself--a bit awkward, but still a winner

Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2003

I don't make a habit of reading bestsellers the moment they come out, and sometimes that's a blessing. If a movie version does crop up in the intervening year or two it may take me to get around to a former NYT Bestseller, I can judge it with fresh eyes. Yes, I do believe that nine times out of ten, the book was better, and that perception can sometimes ruin a perfectly good-of-kind movie.
As a librarian, I've been hearing the buzz on Laura Hillenbrand's book for the past year and a half now, both from reading the reviews and just from talking to patrons at my library who have read--and almost universally loved it. I did happen to catch a recent PBS documentary on the Seabiscuit phenomenon in which Hillenbrand was interviewed extensively. So I guess I know more about this particular books than the 3,000 others on my list of "must-reads."
And watching the movie probably tells me even more about this book that I may or may not get around to reading one day. It's one of those films that is clearly laboring to be faithful to the book that inspired it that it gets a little clunky. The lengthy expositionary scenes are perhaps the best example of what I'm talking about. It takes so long for Seabiscuit to actually arrive on the scene, you may start wondering if you're watching the wrong horse movie.
There may have been a more expeditious way to show how Charles Howard made his fortune, for instance, or that his first marriage failed after the tragic death of his son. Conversely, Red Pollard's marriage is not portrayed, even though it was touched upon considerably in the PBS documentary, with his daughter serving as one of the main voices in that film. Some inclusion of that aspect of Pollard's personal life might have been warranted, since without any reference to adult relationships in his life, he comes across as something of a big (if proud and determined) kid.
And speaking of kids, given how frequently twenty-something actors play teenagers, did it really make sense to cast another, younger actor in the role of the adolescent Red Pollard--especially one who looks absolutely nothing like Tobey Maguire? Has it really been THAT long since THE ICE STORM?
Others have already commented on the questionableness of using documentary footage and stills from the period, and David McCullough's voiceovers seem oddly out of place. I've already seen one PBS doc on this subject, I don't need another. This kind of movie shorthand is just too obvious. A more creative way of establishing time and place would have been preferable.
I know that fans of this movie are probably already planning to click on the "unhelpful" button at this point, but ironically or not, I would still recommend SEABISCUIT. Once the film gets past all the exposition, it picks up its pace, literally and figuratively, and turns out to be compelling cinema. The performances are all solid, the cinematography excellent. And you'd have to have a heart of stone to walk out of the movie without a little lump in your throat.
SEABISCUIT is one of those movies where a little patience on the viewers' part is eventually rewarded. During the first twenty minutes or so of the screening I attended, there were people who got up and walked out. Too bad for them. As with many a book, and many of the films based on them, it gets better as you go along.

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P Magnum

Seabiscuit Rides Into The Winner's Circle

Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2004

Seabiscuit was one of the greatest horses in horse racing history. His racing captivated America during the Great Depression, giving them an underdog they could identify with and root for. Gary Ross' adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand's bestseller does an excellent job of capturing the Americana set forth in the book. The problem is that it is impossible to get into the details of Seabiscuit himself, the protagonists and the life surrounding the horse racing industry like the book in a 2 and 20-minute movie. One is probably better off at seeing the movie first and then reading the book then the other way around, as there are big gaps between what happened in the book and what is shown on the screen. That being said, Seabiscuit is still immensely entertaining. The race scenes are exhilarating and they take you right on the horse's back. The acting is also superb. Tobey Maguire continues his rise as one the best young actors in movies. Mr. Maguire has a strong likeability and one can't help but rooting for his character, jockey Red Pollard, to overcome his devastating injury. Jeff Bridges is the master of the understated performance and gives yet another excellent turn as auto magnet Charles Howard. William H. Macy is hilarious as he provides comic relief as the track reporter and announcer Tick Tock McGlaughlin. While Chris Cooper is fine as trainer Tom Smith, but where as his character was a major player in the book, he seems regulated to a secondary role in the film. Elizabeth Banks is luminous as Howard's second wife, Marcella, but she too suffers the fate of Mr. Cooper. Two of the strongest performances are from off-screen. David McCullough's narration adds depth and gravitas and Randy Newman's score is wistful and inspiring and continues to mark him as the best movie score composer. Seabiscuit is the perfect family film that will appeal to all ages.

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Actually, Four and One-Half Stars

Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2004

It would be a disservice to Seabiscuit to damn it with faint praise by suggesting that it is among the best of "feel good films." In fact, it is. After seeing it again recently, however, I thought less of it than I did when I first saw it. Why? Because (one man's opinion) it manipulates the viewer's emotions rather than allowing the compelling drama of the featured underdogs (owner, jockey, trainer, and horse) to attract, engage, and sustain interest in their collaboration. Most of those who see this film already know that, in 1938, "the Runt" defeated War Admiral in their long-delayed confrontation in the Pimlico Special. Therefore, authentic drama develops during the explanation of HOW that was accomplished. Director Gary Ross wrote the screenplay based on Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling biography. He examines preparations for that great victory (in effect a match race) with meticulous care. Credit John Schwartzman with superb cinematography. As for the acting, it is consistently outstanding, notably the performances by Cooper (Tom Smith), Macy ("Tick Tock" McGlaughlin), and Stevens (George Woolf). Some have objected to liberties taken with certain facts concerning Seabiscuit and (especially) Red Pollard. I could not care less. This is a well-made, highly entertaining film. I just wish Ross and his associates hadn't tried so hard to conscript my emotional involvement. Given the inherent appeal of this story, I would have been an eager volunteer.
The special DVD features include a commentary by Ross and Steven Soderbergh, "Seabiscuit: Racing Through History," "Bringing the Legend to Life: The Making of Seabiscuit, and "Anatomy of a Movie Moment: From Script to Screen"

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Rocco Dormarunno

A superfecta

Reviewed in Canada on June 10, 2004

Most films that try to capture the significance of a sporting event from a by-gone era suffer because they fail to attach it to any historical context. (Billy Crystal's "'61*" being a perfect example, and the recent "Miracle" being the exception.) In fact, that's why there have been so few films that try to tackle a great sporting event. This better-than-average movie, SEABISCUIT, wisely spends sufficent time discussing the American psyche during the Great Depression (and wisely employed the sagacious historian David McCullough to narrate this exposition). Once the scene is set, once we know that the nation is desperate for a rags-to-riches hero, the action of this movie can take place appropriately.
As a film, there is a good deal to recommend it. The pacing is swift and sets are very convincing. The cast is for the most part flawless. Tobey Maguire, who gets better with every performance, conveys the pathos of a young man who is forced to be separated from his parent, only to become the wildly erratic jockey and stable-boy, Red Pollard. The always underrated and understated Chris Cooper plays the near-mystical trainer, Tom Smith. Jeff Bridges turns in his standard strong performance as owner Charles Howard. William Macy as fictitious horse racing announcer Tick-Tock provides welcome comic relief. The situations and the interactions among the characters hold this movie together very well.
What prevents me from giving this movie a perfect five is director/writer Gary Ross' really over-the-top moments where he couldn't resist some Hollywood stylizations. For example, when Chris Cooper stands in a particularly run-down stable, he sees (a) Seabiscuit being tortured and abused on one side of him and (b) jockey Red Pollard being picked on and harrassed on the other side of him. In case you didn't make the connection, Ross shows Cooper looking again at Seabiscuit and then at Pollard. You can almost see a cartoonish light bulb going on over his head, "Say! Why doesn't this down-on-his-luck, belligerent jockey ride this down-on-his-luck belligerent horse? Duh!" Later, Seabiscuit, who is being ridden by another jockey, pulls up lame during a race, and nearly breaks down. Miles away, kindred spirit Red Pollard inexplicably feels a terrible sharp pain in his shin! Is this the Corsican brothers? Or do I sense Spielberg behind the scenes going, "Hey, remember how Eliot got ill when E.T. got ill? Might work here!" I dunno. These moments happened a little too often. Not enought for me to dislike the film, but enough to prevent Seabiscuit going wire to wire.

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Seabiscuit [Blu-ray]

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