Seabiscuit

[OhMel]

Has anyone else seen this? I saw it this past weekend and just loved it. I think it was one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. How does it compare to the book?

[kama'aina mama]

Read the book but haven't seen the movie. The book was amazing. Slow in the first chapters while she is introducing all the characters one at a time, in depth. Then she gets to Seabiscuits career and WOW! I have recommended it to several people. I want to see the movie but don't know if I want to get a sitter for DD age 3. Why is it PG13?

[Moon]

I saw it, I cried through the whole thing, partly cause of pms, partly cause I miss racing, partly cause it was that kind of movie.

I think it was PG-13 cause a few things happen that are frightening, I haven't taken Maeve to see it even though we listened to the book on tape together, and I was all set to take her before I just happened to end up going to see it on a weekend she was with her Grandmum.

Spoiler Alert! Things that might have made it PG-13!

Warning :: Spoiler Ahead! Highlight to read message!

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The jock gets dragged and breaks his ankle, that was scary, and there's a scene where a horse is about to be shot, and he's wrestled to the ground, the jock's parents basically give him away cause they can't afford to feed him, one of the main character's son drowns and there's a scene of the character holding his son's dead body. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

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[kama'aina mama]

Thanks Moon. It's nice to get reviews from people with similar priorities. I know I gave my sis a bum steer about a movie for her DD long before I was a mom... and I have sure gotten some from non-parents or parents who don't mind their kids seeing violence.

[ladylee]

I finished the book recently as well and was completely fascinated by the story-it's well written. I'm sure you'd like it!

[jempd]

I have not read the book or seen the movie--though I've been promised the book as soon as a friend finishes it, but I wanted to mention that I did read an article in The NEw Yorker by Laura Hillenbrand, who wrote the book, and I was so impressed that she managed to research and write the book because she did so as a complete invalid, she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and she really had it bad. That in itself is an inspiring story and I want to read the book just because I liked the article she wrote about how she came down with it and what it has been like, sounded like hell.

[TranscendentalMom]

I read the book and saw the movie. I really liked both but I think the book was much better. While the book also focused on the three people surrounding Seabiscuit, it focused equally on Seabiscuit himself and why he was such a special horse. I didn't feel the movie did this enough. But then again, how do you make a horse a character in a movie? One thing that really disappointed me in the movie was how they acted like Seabiscuit just started winning so easily. There was A LOT of training involved and brilliance on the part of Tom Smith the trainer. The movie made it look like they found a beat up horse, took him out to an open pasture, brought him to a race track and he won the next day. It was not that simple at all. The book was also more *real* - the characters were real people - Red was a raging alcholic, George Woolf had a massive eating disorder, Charles Howard left his wife for Marcela...they were not the likable, one dimensional people portrayed in the movie. The book also really built up the tension to the match race a lot better - much time was spent building up the character of War Admiral and you really felt like you were there and that it was the greatest race ever run.

If you haven't noticed, I highly recommend the book!!!

[OhMel]

Moon, I cried the whole movie too. No excuses on my part, just a sap!

FirstTimeMom, thanks for differentiating the two. It does sound like the book was more interesting, I will pick it up. I had felt while watching the movie that Tom Smith's character should be more fleshed out with the horse.

I just loved the movie, from the cinematography to the actors and seeing the horses. Makes me want to ride again.