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The Horse Whisperer
Dir: Robert Redford Stars: Robert Redford, Kristen Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansonn, Sam Neill There are two stories to be told in The Horse Whisperer, the first big chick flick of the summer. One is a smart, original story, full of tension and touching moments, about a family healing after a terrible accident. The other is a hackneyed romance that could never be between people from opposite worlds who find they're not so different. Both of these plots battle for space in the film, but guess which one finally wins out? No surprise. It is, after all, the first big chick flick of the summer. The disappointing thing is that all the elements are here. You couldn't ask for a better cast, a better story to work with, a better set of screenwriters, or a better film vision, in the case of Robert Redford. What you can ask for is a better script, the right focus for the story, and a little less self-indulgence from Robert Redford. The first cut of this film was over four hours long. The final cut is just under three, and probably should have been closer to two. The story begins with Grace (Scarlet Johansson) and her friend, both in their early teens, out riding on a snowy winter day. Their horses lose their footing on a slippery hill, which results in an accident where Grace and her horse, Pilgrim, are severely injured, and her friend and her horse are killed. Grace a portion of her right leg. Grace's mother, high-powered New York editor Annie MacLean (Kristen Scott Thomas), refuses to let the animal be put down, and the family and the horse begin the long road toward healing. The only person Annie sees who can help is Tom Booker (Robert Redford), a horse whisperer, or healer. So she packs up Pilgrim and Grace and heads out to Montana. Her husband, Robert (Sam Neill), stays behind to hold down the fort. This is the most interesting dynamic of the movie - the healing of the family unit. Grace and Pilgrim aren't the only ones that need help. Though we're only given ambiguous reasons about Annie's controlling nature for the strain on her relationship with her daughter, that seems about normal for a fourteen year old girl and her mother. The story packs it best punch in the parts where Grace and Annie come to understand each other a little better, paralleled by the progress with Pilgrim. The girl and the horse get better together, and Annie comes to terms with both. And then we have the romance. There is inevitable romantic tension between Annie and Tom, and the movie plays it well for the first 45 minutes or so. But as soon as they start to act on it, the story loses its charm and starts neglecting Annie's relationship with Grace and the reason they are there in the first place - Tom's power as a horse whisperer. You might as well have called the movie "The Wife Whisperer." It's hard to feel sympathetic for a woman who is willing cheat on her husband, and then willing to leave him, when even the guy she wants to dump him for thinks he's a good man. You don't get the feeling that she's a woman trapped in a dull and unloving marriage, rescued by the stranger. You get the feeling she's using the wrong end of her torso for thinking and she's just moving along to the newest thing. The book apparently showed more background about Annie's marriage and Booker's background that would put their relationship into perspective. The omission of this material is near fatal. And Tom Booker couldn't be more perfect. He is Guy Smiley-Teeth extroardinaire. He always says the right thing, he's experienced, kind to Grace, talented at what he does, and smiles constantly, turning his rugged profile to the camera and making Annie melt. He is annoyingly faultless. At some point in the movie, I started looking for the pod he hatched from, because he is not human. His hands are a little wrinkled. Other than that, he's Ghadni in a Stetson. I can't say The Horse Whisperer is a terrible movie - it's not. For early summer fare, before we get hit with Sandra Bullock and the whole cutesy and perky crew, it's not bad. There's at least one story here, and if you bring a book to read, you might make it through the romance. I suggest The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. I hear it's really good. -Nick |
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