Seabiscuit is another movie I've never seen until now. I like underdog movies, especially ones that are actually based on True Stories. So, I figured this one would be an easy movie to watch given the fact that
Gary Ross was behind this. Well, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. It's not that it's a bad movie, but I did have some issues with the pacing or more to the point, the editing. The axiom in screenwriting is that you get in and out of a scene as quickly as possible and cut out all the fat to keep the story moving. Well, this movie seems to really want to cut as many corners as possible to hold true to that. I just did not like the pacing at all and there were just too many scenes that never materialized because they were in and out in mere seconds. Really not sure what the deal was behind this. It might have something to do with the already long run time of the film. Whatever the case, it does do the movie a disservice.
Another thing, I wasn't all that crazy about
Tobey Maguire's performance. Most of the time while watching the movie, it was like watching
Peter Parker going horseback riding with his 'Yahooooooo', 'Owwwwwwwwww' and 'Wheeeeeeeee'. It got annoying pretty fast.
Jeff Bridges was good, but
Elizabeth Banks was woefully underused.
Chris Cooper was okay. The movie is still worth a
Rent in spite of these issues. It looks great and does have a compelling story.