Basic Info
"Secretariat" vs. "Seabiscuit"
Date: 10/8/10 ---- 7/25/03
Studios: Disney ---- Universal/DreamWorks
Rating: PG --- -PG-13
Star: Diane Lane ---- Tobey Maguire
(Owner Penny Chenery) ---- (Jockey Red Pollard)
Length: 116 Mins ---- 141 Mins
BO Open: $12.6M (#3) --- -$20.8M (#5)
Setting/Historical Background:
Sec: 1970s (Vietnam War)
Sea: 1900s-30s (Great Depression)
How Characters Meet:
Sec: Typically/Straight Forward (some already know each other)
Sea: Come together (each story intersects into one main story)
Comedic Characters:
Sec : John Malkovich (Trainer Lucien Laurin)
Sea: William H. Macy (Radio Announcer Tick Tock McGlaughlin)
Overall Goal:
Sec: To have Secretariat win the Triple Crown in order to save the Chenery stables
Sea: To prove that Seabiscuit was the best racehorse in the world
Saratoga, NY Race:
Sec: Fake (not shot at Saratoga and is referred to improperly as "Saratoga Park")
Sea: Realistic (was actually shot at Saratoga and features the classic red and white umbrellas)
Opinion
Before watching "Seabiscuit", I hardly knew anything about the story, and that was good. The plot of the film isn't simply focused on winning a big race. "Secretariat" has a more predictable story. "Seabiscuit" strives for a higher level of story telling, focusing on elements such as honor, and leadership. What's also interesting is that this film deals with several characters, and Seabiscuit the horse is definitely one of the main ones. In "Secretariat", the story mainly focuses on the life of owner Penny Chenery. The first hour of "Secretariat" features all the characters and their stories before the horseracing begins.
"Seabiscuit" has great performances by Maguire, Chris Cooper, and Jeff Bridges. In "Secretariat" I didn't fully care for the characters until the second hour. With "Seabiscuit", I was attached to them right away, and felt bad for what they were going through. Now you might be thinking, "Man, he didn't like "Secretariat"". Well, I did. It's actually one of the best films of the year. There's Oscar worthy performances, mainly from Diane Lane, and a possible Best Picture nomination in it's future. Although "Seabiscuit" was nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Picture, it didn't win a single one. That surprises me. Anyway, even though I already knew the ending of " Secretariat", my heart was still beating as fast as the horses on the screen. "Seabiscuit" and "Secretariat" are both exceptional tales of glory and triumph.
Grade
Secretariat: B+
Seabiscuit: B+
So in horseracing terms, our "Secretariat" vs. "Seabiscuit" Match Race ends in a dead-heat at the finish line.
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