Dream Horse

audience Reviews

, 97% Audience Score
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    A real rags to rags (with self pride) story. Based on a true story, well researched and directed, to give an accurate account of Dream Alliances life. A heart warming story, which puts you in the saddle and takes you on a gallop of emotional highs and lows. The subtle humour adds another dimension to a lovely and likeable film. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Horse racing is a bit on the nose globally. However, I watched this film and last week Ride Like a Girl and the human touch in both movies overrides the negativity a lot of people feel about the sport. I am not sure about the racing industry and their treatment of horses but I liked these films.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    beautiful movie about a true story
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    Reasonably entertaining. A bit like many other stories dealing with horse racing and the people involved with horse racing, though this one had a pleasant twist of the the "owners" being a syndicate of 'common folk'. Good production quality.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    In the early 2000s, Jan Vokes decided to breed and raise a racehorse, just to prove to herself that "things can change." Her village of Cefn Fforest was in decline as the economy moved away from mining, the town's primary industry. Her goal represented a worthy ambition and a worthy sentiment, just like this film. "Dream Horse" is based on the true story of a steeplechase racer Dream Alliance. It's inspired by the documentary "Dark Horse" (a much punchier title) that won a World Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Festival. At Jan's prodding, the residents of her Welsh village decide to pool their resources ("just a tenner a week") to fund the breeding and development of their racehorse. They have no experience. They make up for this deficit with baseless, boundless, endearing enthusiasm. (There's something very charming about seeing this lot literally rubbing elbows with the social elite of the UK in the owner's box.) For a story about horseracing, there are sections of the film that are very slow-moving, although the irony appears unintended. As a sports story, this film ticks all the boxes. Initial promising success, check. A major setback creating an insurmountable obstacle to be overcome, check. You get the idea. By comparison, working on a paint-by-numbers picture is thrillingly unpredictable. "Dream Horse" becomes much more interesting when it gallops into the eccentric lives of the townspeople. Jan Vokes is played by Toni Collette, who burst onto the scene in 1994's "Muriel's Wedding." In the opening scene of "Muriel," a bridal bouquet descends to the soundtrack of an incoming missile, excellent foreshadowing for Collette's career. She's been impactful ever since. It's Collette who saves this film from sinking into an excessive sweetness that could threaten the theater's concession stand sales. Unfortunately, though the other townspeople offer a wide range of potentially rich backstories, their story threads are never pursued. Damain Lewis (Howard Davis, a local accountant who actually knows something about horses) is given almost nothing interesting to do. But after watching him in forceful roles in "Homeland" and "Billions," it's fascinating to see Lewis inhabit a role totally devoid of menace. The problem with this film is that it can't decide what it really is. Because it never figures out whether it is a sports story or a character study, it gives a variety of interesting topics – the Welsh economy, the virtue of dreaming, whether people are too self-limiting, the concept of actual character development – only a glancing blow. Dream Alliance earned a respectable 138,646 Great British pounds. At the end of the racehorse's career, after paying for his upkeep, medical bills and other expenses, each member of the syndicate walked away with 1430 GBP (a little over $2000). After investing their time in this film, members of the audience may find their sense of enrichment was similarly modest.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    I love to go riding horses! It's one of my favorite animals! I love watching horses racing. That mvoie blew me away. It didn't make me cry. I loved it. So cute. You should watch it.
  • Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    Dream Horse is a small but very likeable film. It certainly fits in the 'feel good' mode but because of its good heart and nice humour it succeeds in its own way. It helps being a true story as this carries the authenticity a long way. This film is the true story of Jan Vokes from a small village in Wales. Jan had dabbled in various forms of animal breeding over the years but one day was inspired to breed a thoroughbred. She scrapes together enough money to buy an older mare and breed a foal. Then she comes up with the scheme of getting others in the village to throw in ten pounds a week to pay for the training and upkeep. Beyond their wildest dreams the foal matures into a talented racehorse in the jumping field. Now named Dream Alliance he takes them on the ride of a lifetime. It's all very pleasant and fun and dspite some corny humour and sentimentality it's all very likeable. Toni Collette is great as usual in the lead role. She is surrounded by a veteran cast of British actors that make for a fun film experience.
  • Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    Good entertainment that doesn't disappear up its own arse.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Don't miss this terrific movie. As always, Tony Colette is great, as are her supporting actors.
  • Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    I really enjoyed this. It's light hearted and inspiring. I love that it's based on a true story. It's uplifting to see people happy. Great human story here. Well worth my time. Great cast. What's not to like?