Volume 3, No. 31 August 1, 2003
‘Biscuit’ tops off Maguire’s platter A Review By Hannah Pittard There is a defining moral that comes along with “Seabiscuit,” one that even its previews have been reluctant to keep to themselves: “You don’t throw a life away just because it’s banged up a little.” I think one test of a good movie must be its ability not only to live up to the hype surrounding it (unlike “The Matrix: Reloaded”), but also its ability to be fresh even after its previews have been as ubiquitous as air. Amazingly, “Seabiscuit” passes both these tests. I am, however, the first to admit that this review is not without its bias. There are few things I enjoy more than male camaraderie movies. An aging cowboy, a ruined millionaire and a brokenhearted boy are, in my mind, the perfect combination for a perfect movie. Throw a few animals into the mix and I’m even more attached. But, based on audience reaction and the countless other reviews already out, it seems my idiosyncratic bias and I are not the only ones affected by the power of “Seabiscuit.” Chris Cooper’s cowboy, though amicably belligerent and perfectly played, was nowhere near as endearing as his Academy Award-winning performance as “Adaptation’s” John Laroche. To Cooper’s credit, however, Laroche is a character perhaps permanently without equal. Jeff Bridges’ return to the screen as Charles Howard — a repairman turned millionaire turned horse lover — is a welcome one. And it’s hard to imagine an actor other than William H. Macy playing the role of the radio announcer — a role he fills with sublime and absurd attention to comedic detail. And, finally, Tobey Maguire’s Red Pollard is endlessly charismatic. More than anyone, more than the idea of Seabiscuit himself, Maguire pulls the audience in — gaining, earning and keeping viewers’ affections. There is an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and maybe even inspiration in “Seabiscuit.” If nothing else, the movie brings relief to a summer otherwise filled with computer animation and overdone fight sequences. Its story, like its actors, has earned the hype.
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