LL Cool J once said "Don't call it a comeback/ I been here for years/ Rockin' my peers and putting suckas in fear."
But Kurt Russell's new movie "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" is definitively a comeback tale.
The film was released nationally today and chronicles the fall and rise of a racing horse. Besides recovering from a severe leg injury — in the sphere of the motion picture — the galloping steed is also the best actor in the flick.
The horse eats popsicles, carries a little girl's backpack and single-hoofedly unites an emotionally distanced family.
Russell plays Ben Crane — patriarch of the progressively devoted Crane clan. Besides being a stern father, Russell's character is also a horse trainer. What else would he be in film about a horse? He's too old and big to be a jockey.
The problem with Russell's performance being his motivation being all across the board.
Some of the time he's the heartless, dirtbag dad and some of the time he's looking to hug anyone in his general vicinity — he even kisses the horse at one point. The progression of his emotional state is not linear, but rather quite random.
Dakota Fanning ("I Am Sam" and "War of the Worlds") plays the role of Russell's daughter, Cale Crane. As expected, Fanning holds down the role of the cutesy but courageous little girl throughout.
She's at the blunt end of Russell's moodiness more than any of the other characters. But she handles it well by hanging out with the horse when her dad is being temperamental.
Pop Crane, played by Kris Kristofferson ("Payback"), is the stereotypical grandfather with exterior bitterness and interior tenderness. And of course he has the best advice out of anyone since he's got more wrinkles than a Shar-Pei pooch.
With all the predictability in plot and character, the film still comes across as heartfelt and uplifting. The scenery is breathtaking — the whole film was shot in the states of Louisiana and Kentucky.
The action scenes when the horses are flying down the track could incite audience members to wet themselves, however. The movement of the camera around the darting horses is not the proper moment to take a bathroom break — the cinematography is just too good.
Rather, if anything should be missed during the course of the film, the best time would be when Russell is going through a mood swing on screen.
Since this is the only major film not rated R being nationally released this weekend, it's bound to make a bundle in box-office sales with the family crowd.
But "Dreamer" is worth seeing for the college crowd since it does such an outstanding job communicating a wholesome and inspirational message.
