Raven-1969
Sometimes people carry wounds more on the inside than outside. Beyond the reach of a doctor's knife, skill or medicine, or despite them, despair and gloom consume hearts. This is the case for both a girl and horse, Grace and Pilgrim, who barely managed to survive a tragic accident together. Even though Pilgrim appears beyond help, Grace's mother Annie is determined to see to his recovery. She hopes the horse will help make Grace happy again. Annie reads of a mysterious horse healer in Montana who sees into troubled souls and soothes inner wounds. Soon Annie, Grace and Pilgrim are headed across the country in a desperate bid to hire this horse whisperer and rebuild their lives.Montana with its big sky, spectacular snow-capped mountains and resplendent Yellowstone River valley bathed in moonlight, is one of the stars of the film. Other stars, both rising and established, include Robert Redford (the horse whisperer), Kristin Scott Thomas (Annie), Scarlett Johansson (Grace) and Sam Neill (Annie's husband). Redford is in his element. He carries the film with his rugged Western charm, folksy wisdom and wry humor. The connections he establishes with the other characters seem real. Much of the satisfaction of this film comes from its compelling themes; determining strengths and weaknesses, recovering from tragedy, rebuilding trust, the power of nature and good people in the healing process, the importance of patience and providing space for those in need, human sympathy with animals, and more.
RNMorton
I had always dodged this movie, I think I still associated Robert Redford with what I thought were self-indulgent movies in the late 70s -80s. He never entirely gets away from being smug, but if you can deal with that this movie has a lot going for it. Scarlett J and her horse are involved in horrific accident which leaves both of them physically and psychologically scarred. Her mom Kristen Scott Thomas (always fine) tracks down horse whisperer Redford in Montana or thereabouts, and when he refuses to see them in NY she travels to his turf, Scarlett, damaged horse and all. Redford's family are nicely played, and there are tons of beautiful scenery where Robert calls home. What I liked best about this movie was the slow but persistent pace, along with the scenery and beautiful music. I would have played out the potential love interest between Redford and Thomas differently, but I really think the story is in the Redford-horse-Scarlett angle anyway. Much better than I anticipated.
jb_campo
The Horse Whisperer is that rare magical film that will lift your spirits while making you sad at the same time by giving you a dose of harsh reality. Beautifully filmed with the wide-open vistas of Montana contrasting against the big-city enclosed feeling of New York, this film brings deep contrasts across so many levels of landscapes, emotions, and characters.The plot involves a well-to-do family in the New York area composed of mother Annie (Kristen S. Thomas) who is a bossy editor of Cover fashion magazine, father Sam Neill (subdued lawyerly type), and their young teenage daughter Grace, wonderfully played by a burgeoning actress named Scarlett Johannson – ever hear of her? Grace loves to ride her favorite horse, Pilgrim, which forms one of the central themes.Emotions run deep and strong in undercurrents of relations. Does mom love her husband? Does mom love her job? Does mom love her daughter, or want to control her life. Does dad protect their daughter too much? It's clear that Grace loves dad, but less clear is how she feels about mom. These themes are prevalent undercurrents throughout the film. You can really see the ability in Scarlett Johannson who was only 14 when she made this film. You really feel her mental and physical pain struggling with teenage angst, while fighting a new battle against mental and physical angst. Powerful performance for someone so young.Cut to Montana, where Robert Redford delivers a spectacular performance as Tom Booker, horse whisperer whose special gift with horses is sought out by Annie. Or is Annie seeking more? You decide. In some ways, this reminds me of Crocodile Dundee in reverse, where Annie goes to the wilds of Montana seeking help with a suffering Pilgrim whom everyone wanted to put down, but maybe she also seeks help with healing her daughter, and even deeper, perhaps she seeks help with her own life choices. Redford skillfully directs, produces, and acts in this flick, and no one has ever done it better. He slowly reveals small bits of his life to Annie, and other layers get peeled back like an onion, with the same sad effect. Yet, he seems to be totally at peace with where he is, and Annie starts to seek that peace.Kristen S. Thomas is superb, but sometimes a bit unbelievably nervous. She has trouble adjusting from the New York minute lifestyle to the slow-down-pardner lifestyle of Montana. Sam Neill plays his typical role of a quiet, fatherly type who knows something is going on, and knows there's not much he can do except help pick up the pieces wherever they may fall. Excellent supporting roles add flavor as needed from Tom's family, in the form of young kids, his brother, and sister-in-law.You may laugh a little, but you will certainly have your heart strings pulled in multiple directions in this complex, moving film. The dance scene choreography between Annie and Tom is electric, stunning, and moving in its simple complexity of subtleties. I don't think I've seen a better dance scene ever.My only critique is that, at almost 3 hours, the film gets a little long. There were many scenes of running the cows in, and all involved with that, and other farm activities that really, after one or two, you get the point. There's no electronics here, so people do other things. I think 20 to 30 minutes could have been shaved off to bring this closer to 2 ½ hours.Excellent plot, terrific acting, breathtaking cinematography, fine editing, and skillfully detailed directing. This is a film you will remember for a long time. Do yourself a favor and watch The Horse Whisperer. Enjoy.
