Over the bank holiday weekend, as well as drinking too much and getting sunburnt I ticked yet another movie off my “Films I should’ve seen by now but haven’t” list.
The Horse Whisperer (1997)
I’ve mentioned several times before that there are a few genres that don’t instantly appeal to me. War films, mob movies, westerns and dramas never catch my attention like sci-fi, comedy, thriller, action or fantasy/adventure movies do.
The weird thing is, 99.9% of the time, when I do watch a movie from any of these genres I enjoy it.
You’d think I’d have learned by now and that my opinion towards them would’ve changed, but unfortunately? Noooo...🤦🏻♂️
I’ve probably avoided this one because it falls into one of those categories and yet, as per usual I enjoyed it.
If you haven’t seen it, the film is based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Nicholas Evans.
It’s directed by and stars Robert Redford (Indecent Proposal) as well as Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient), a young Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) and Dianne Wiest (Edward Scissorhands) among others.
This is what it’s about according to the internet:
“When teenage Grace (Scarlett Johansson) is traumatized by a riding accident that badly injures her horse, her mother Annie (Kristin Scott Thomas), a high-powered New York magazine editor, realizes Grace will only recover once the horse is healed. She takes them both to a secluded Montana ranch, where legendary "horse whisperer" Tom Booker (Robert Redford) begins to heal the horse, and also stirs long-dormant feelings in Annie that lead her to question her marriage and choice of career.”
I had this movie so wrong!
All these years I saw the title and thought, “it’s about horses right?”, and not being particularly interested in horses I never felt compelled to watch it. As it turns out it’s about a lot more than horses. 🐎
I’ve actually seen surprisingly few Robert Redford movies (I only watched Indecent Proposal for the first time a few weeks ago) but one thing I noticed in both films is how much screen presence he has.
There’s a real credibility to him that demands your attention and I feel ashamed that I’m only learning this now.
The performances from the rest of the cast (as you’d expect from the line up) are very good and the story is engaging with some fantastic cinematography! 👌
I think a lot of these films that I’m only just watching for the first time would’ve been lost on me ten years ago. I definitely think I have a greater appreciation for certain films now I’m in my 40s - one of the benefits of getting older I guess. 👴🏻🤷♂️
If you’ve avoided this movie because of the title and you like a bit of drama and romance you should give it a watch. You might just enjoy it. 👍
Seen it or even read the novel? Let me know below.👇