Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Studio: DreamWorks SKG
Rated: PG
Website: http://www.dreamer.dreamworks.com/
Release Date: 2005-10-21
Cast: Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue, Freddy Rodriguez
Director: John Gatins
Screenwriter: John Gatins
WorkNameSort: Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Our Rating: 2.00
This dewy story of a girl and her horse has its snout stuck on Page One of the family-flick playbook: Well-meaning dad does something to disappoint his sensitive kid; kid bolts from the room in tears; they reconcile a few scenes later; repeat as necessary. Writer/director John Gatins (he penned Hard Ball and Coach Carter) apparently finds it a whole bunch of necessary, floating at least three variations on the sequence as he shows us how the faith of a plucky horseman’s daughter enabled an injured filly to get back in the game. Before the miracle can happen, though, there’s a disquieting interlude in which the sidelined horse is sent to visit a stud farm, lending the momentary impression that the point of the film will be to document Dakota Fanning’s introduction to the world of sex for sale. Otherwise, Dreamer moves slowly and noncommittally, like an ice cream sundae laced with Zoloft. Reality check: Though it seems weird as all hell to see Kurt Russell (b. 1951) playing the father of Fanning (b. 1994), the husband of Elisabeth Shue (b. 1963) and even the son of Kris Kristofferson (b. 1936), it’s technically feasible – as long as Kristofferson started knocking cowboy boots at age 15. Works for us.
This article appears in Oct 19-25, 2005.