No. 50 (2021) DREAM HORSE JUNE 18th.

 

Film No. 50 (2021)  June 18th.  6:00 PM  PALACE Cinema 1,  Raine Square,  Perth City. 

"The thing is, I want to look forward to something every time I get up in the morning. I'm going to breed a race horse"(Jan breaks the news to her husband Brian that she is taking steps to rectify the boredom that has infiltrated into her life).

The doco DARK HORSE (2015) told the incredible story of  working class, Welsh single-mindedness, in the form of Jan Vokes who, with the help of disgruntled accountant Howard Davies, pulled off one of the greatest sporting triumphs in U.K. horse racing history. DREAM HORSE is the feature film of this incredible story.

The story was such a triumph that a feature film release was no surprise. SEABISCUIT (2003) and SECRETARIAT (2010) tell "come from behind" race stories that have pleased producers and audiences alike in recent years and DREAM HORSE is succeeding similarly. The COVID pandemic is giving films like DREAM HORSE a congestion free run down the straight. A predictable plot with a feel good outcome so warm you'll whoop and holler as loudly as the owners syndicate does as Dream Alliance crosses the finish-line to win the 2009 Welsh Grand National.

Audiences don't seem to have taken offence at their choice for the lead role. Australian Toni Collette (Jan) and U.K. born Damien Lewis (Howard) have good chemistry. I couldn't fault Collette's accent but a native of Wales is likely a better judge. Every scene plays out predictably, but I enjoyed the undercurrent of the narrative. The fact that Jan created the syndicate to give her life a boost and not to become rich is never lost on us. The ensemble cast of U.K. locals all get to steal a light-hearted scene or two.   

It's pleasing to see a sports film of a story worth telling made well. It's a U.K. story that many, particularly from Wales, will have followed 12 years ago. An audience has been waiting patiently. While DREAM HORSE has working class roots it is less Ken Loach and a whole lot more Disney in its depiction. Me, well I loved the DARK HORSE version more. But I'll be in a minority when it comes to the viewing of this story on screen.  8GUMS.