I remember back during my freshman year at FSU, I would always look forward to Fridays. Not because I could walk down anywhere on Tennessee Street and have the opportunity to get drunk with countless people…nor was it because I could donate my financial aid to Mike’s Beer Barn. You see, Fridays for me meant the arrival of new second-run movies at Movies 8 - better known as the “Dollar Theatre” to Tallahasseans. I can’t really explain in detail as to why I enjoyed going to movies on my own, but it was fun and relaxing. I could laugh, cry, get emotional, or even throw popcorn and nachos (ummm…not really since I adore both snacks too much to waste it on tossing activities) and not have to explain myself to anyone. The chances of seeing these people again that shared the movie-going experience with me were about as slim as Lindsey Lohan and Hilary Duff’s body combined together. I mean it’s mostly dark anyways, so it’s not like faces were visibly clear in the first place.
As I approach the daunting THREE-0, I’m finding myself re-living certain memories of the past that have shed some sort of enjoyment. So today I looked up the movie times at the one-hundred-penny theatre. There was a movie that I had wanted to see but never got around to. It was called, “Dreamer: Inspired by a true story.” It stars some actors that I adore: Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Elisabeth Shue, and David Morse.
***SPOILER ALERT*** I’m about to give another one of my ghetto movie reviews, so if you plan on seeing this movie, please be forewarned that I'll be describing parts of the movie and stuff...
So I thought “Because of Winn-Dixie” was a sleeper hit for me this year. Alas, I spoke too soon to the masses (masses being the few faithful readers of this so-called blog). Not that Winn-Dixie was bad compared to Dreamer, but man, I was blown away yet once again. If I may be candid for just a moment (too late), I really had to muster strength from within to not cry numerous times during this movie. It was a good thing the medium popcorn I purchased was finished, or else I would’ve been tempted to make it a landing pad for more liquid sodium. The movie had its sad moments for sure, but I think the tear-evoking moments came when the characters shared sweet, heartfelt, and genuine moments together. Family movies have a way of finding people’s hearts, and then squeezing every ounce of emotion out of them. I remember seeing Hoosiers, Miracle, Rudy, Radio, Remember the Titans, and Seabiscuit - and how all of them got me teary-eyed at some point. I realize I’m advertising more than ever my soft side. Trust me, I swim in the testosterone pool majority of the time, but dipping my feet in the estrogen pool once in a while is good for the soul (and stuff). Right, so on to the movie...
Dreamer is a beautiful and heart-warming story about how a horse, named Soñador (pronounced like Sewnya-door – it means “dreamer” in Spanish), brought a family together in the midst of overcoming unlikely odds. In the beginning of the movie, Sonya, who was just beginning her promising career as a racehorse, broke a leg during a race. Kurt Russell’s character, Ben, plays a horse trainer. He wants to put Sonya to sleep on the track - protocol to the horseracing business I guess - but after seeing his daughter’s sad eyes, he decides to take the horse in to help it recover and possibly breed it to make money. In doing so, he gets fired from his well-paying job. Dakota Fanning plays the role of Ben’s daughter, Cale. I have seen many movies with Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning; they always blow me away with their genuine and honest portrayal of the characters they play. Dakota is a rare gem these days in Hollywood. Her talent is never-ceasing; and with each new film she’s in, she seems to up the ante on her previous role. In this movie, her chemistry with Mr. Russell is brilliant. At the onset, it is assumed that the father-daughter relationship isn’t the best. Work has taken Ben away from his family, and this horse that was brought in to be saved, winds up saving the family. The plot isn’t original by any means. Hollywood churns up feel-good family movies regularly it seems, but this one really etched its place in me. The combination of stellar acting, the way lines were delivered, and magnificent story brought about such a memorable movie-going experience for me.
One delightful surprise was a parallel that I caught and perhaps interpreted as one with my walk with Christ. Towards the end of the movie, Dakota’s character was talking to her dad before the big race. He was fearful of the fact that Soñador may not have had enough time to prepare for the race. Cale told him, in a soft yet determined voice, that He had saved Sonya from a seemingly imminent death and that she was going to return him a favor by running the race. I know for me, when I was saved in '95, my vigor to run the race for God came from an uncontrollable fury. Actually, it was probably relatively tame, but I wanted to use vigor and fury in the last sentence; I have a soft spot for cool words, sorry. Anyways...granted, I've never saved a family like Soñador did, but I'd like to think that I've planted seeds in Christ's name somewhere along the way...and will continue to do so until I perish. Now I knew going into Narnia to expect numerous images of Christ, but this one in Dreamer was a pleasant surprise - how cool. I’m leaving out many great moments in the film (there was a wonderful story that Cale wrote in school about her dad) in hopes that you will want to see this gem of a movie. There are other little stories within the film that are done beautifully - ones that will certainly warm the heart and extract all honest emotions that are usually hidden. It’s always nice to see stories of families growing closer together, inspiring faith displayed in people, not fearing the ability to dream big, and triumphant tales of overcoming odds.
Don’t go see this movie on my account. See it because a movie like this is a rarity these days; and the performances by each actor will tug on your heartstrings until they’re taut with an emotional uplift. The popcorn and soda are awaiting you. Treat yourself to a great story told – and ultimately be changed knowing that God is faithful and believes in us…
"You are a great champion. When you ran the ground shook. The sky opened and mere mortals parted. Parted the way to victory. Where you will meet me in the winner's circle. Where I will lay a blanket of flowers on your back."
- Cale Crane
~KH
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