It's been a while since a good movie adaptation has been released, and this week we get a touching girl-meets-horse tale of "Secretariat." The source book was William Nack's "Secretariat, the Making of a Champion," and the former turf reporter for Newsday told The Baltimore Sun that he was couldn't be more pleased with the movie. The main character, played by Diane Lane, took over a horse farm from her dying father, "left her family and went East to run the career of this racehorse. It made her and her husband estranged; she had a very difficult time. but she managed to start a new life," Nack told reporter Michael Sragow. Here are some reviews:
Los Angeles Times -- As the Walt Disney Pictures enchanted castle logo unerringly indicates, "Secretariat" is a fairy tale about a horse. If you're in the mood for it, and in the mood for a strong and satisfying performance by Diane Lane, you're definitely in the right place.
New York Times -- Squeaky clean and as square as a military flattop, "Secretariat" doesn't take the wide or long view when it comes to horse racing or anything else, despite an occasional oblique nod to Vietnam. Instead it sticks to the Disney gospel that life means following your dreams ...
Washington Post -- [Director Randall] Wallace's secret is that he makes "Secretariat" about characters, not races, and he has found irresistible protagonists in both his equine and human subjects.