Seabiscuit (2003)
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An underdog horse and a determined jockey find mutual redemption during the hardships of the Great Depression.
The story
In the early 20th century, Charles S. Howard becomes a wealthy car dealer in San Francisco. During the Great Depression, a financially ruined Canadian named John "Red" Pollard becomes a jockey despite being left blind in one eye from a boxing accident. Howard acquires a stable and hires trainer Tom Smith, who identifies a small, unmanageable colt named Seabiscuit. Smith recognizes Pollard's similarly temperamental spirit and hires him as the horse's jockey. Under Smith's innovative training, Seabiscuit rises from an overlooked underdog to become a successful racehorse and a popular media sensation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the early 20th century, Charles S. Howard becomes a wealthy car dealer in San Francisco. During the Great Depression, John "Red" Pollard, a jockey blind in one eye, is hired by trainer Tom Smith to ride a small, unmanageable colt named Seabiscuit. Under Smith's training, Seabiscuit becomes a West Coast success. Howard challenges Samuel D. Riddle, owner of the champion War Admiral. In the Santa Anita Handicap, Pollard's impaired vision causes Seabiscuit to lose by a nose. Howard rallies support for a match race with a rope and bell. Before the race, Pollard fractures his leg and advises friend George Woolf to ride Seabiscuit. In the 'race of the century,' Woolf follows Pollard's instructions to slow Seabiscuit, allowing War Admiral to match his stride before Seabiscuit surges ahead to win by four lengths. Months later, after both the horse and Pollard recover from injuries, Pollard returns to ride Seabiscuit in a self-made leg brace. In the final race, Seabiscuit drops behind but, with Woolf's encouragement, surges ahead to victory. Pollard reflects that the three men and the horse fixed one another.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 140
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gary Ross
- Writers
- Gary Ross · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tobey Maguire · Seabiscuit; Jeff Bridges · John "Red" Pollard; Chris Cooper · Charles S. Howard; Elizabeth Banks · Marcela Zabala; Gary Stevens · Tom Smith; William H. Macy · George Woolf
- Genres
- historical; sports drama
- Themes
- Redemption; Persistence; Friendship
- Tone and mood
- Life-affirming; Saccharine; Epic
- Premise and plot tags
- Historical; Sports Drama; Based on Non-Fiction; Great Depression
- Source material / true-story basis
- Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $148.3 million against an $87 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · review count: 206; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 43; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Picture · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was shot at Santa Anita Park, Keeneland Race Course, and Saratoga Race Course.; Keeneland doubled for Pimlico Race Course.; The film marks a second collaboration between director Gary Ross and actors Tobey Maguire and William H. Macy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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