The Horse Whisperer (1998)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

I love this movie so much

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is a pretty good story, a bit too slow at times. The scenery is what makes this film tolerable, sometimes enjoyable. Some of the equestrian practices shown are not depicting correct or safe methods, but this is normal in films. Horses don't flip out like people in the first place. They may be scared of places, sounds and things where the trauma occurs, but would never become psychotic as shown here. The other troubling thing I kept seeing over and over in the film is Scarlet Johansson's character kept trying to do things with her prosthetic instead of her good leg. I myself had a slow healing broken ankle and spent 9 months on a cast. You learn to use your good leg quickly, like when trying to climb a corral fence and mounting a horse from the side of your good leg, not your bad. These little film maker faux pas and the acting by Kristin Scott Thomas (trying too hard, obvious fake smiles- how hard is it to smile?) kept this from being an excellent movie.

A good movie, however the real story here is about the comeback of the characters, such as Grace (Scarlett Johansson). There are great moments in the film such as where Grace has again ridden a horse (sort of in secret for the first time since the accident). And Grace later tells her mother: 'nobody's ever gonna love me like this' - never fails to tear me up. It's because she referring to ALL her injuries: inclusive of her physical, mental, and emotional state - which may be finally beginning to heal with the help of 'life' on this wonderfully beautiful cattle ranch. Another one is where a few minutes later Grace tells Redford the story of exactly how the accident happened (what an amazing, heart- wrenching scene she gives us). And Redford gives her some great fatherly advice and emotional 'relief' - we can feel her healing. Another is in the barn where Grace's mother / Redford finally talk about their feelings... an emotionally vulnerable woman, and a complete gentleman with enough character to know what is right for all of them.Finally, the emotional climax is where Grace enters the corral and confronts her fears about the horse. It's her chance, and all the supporting characters are there for her, standing up for her. In the end both her, the horse, and all 'the comebacks' come to total fruition and complete triumph. There are so many parallels between the injured horse and the flawed people that are emotionally involved in the story...All in all, this is really a 'comeback' movie - for Grace, the horse, for Redford's character, Grace's mother - all of them are {in movie magic 'reality'} learning to love again. THIS narrative is the real focus of the film... if you watch it again from this perspective, you'll see a very young and an incredibly gorgeous (quite visible even at such a young age) Scarlett to shine - better than in just the few glimpses of good acting that we manage to otherwise catch.

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.

This movie excels on many levels, but its unique quality is that it shows very clearly the healing of heart and body that takes place when we focus only on those things that really matter. The perfect place and way to portray this was through a lifestyle intimately connected with the earth (ranching) and a family steeped in traditional manners of simple honesty and courtesy.One scene which exemplified this focus-on-manners was when young Joe Booker (played by Ty Hillman) was talking with Grace. He asked her what it was like riding Pilgrim. She wasn't able to answer. He excused himself, politely.Joe Booker's manners and persona are always respectful, and this aspect of the movie, alone, tells us that we are in a far-different place, ethically, than modern-day U.S.A. Chris Cooper (as Frank Booker) does a magical job of showing this deep but practical respect for people and the land, as well. This deeply traditional and reverent family ranch was adeptly juxtaposed to the frenetic, distraught and disconnected life lived by the horse's owner's family.The sparse, direct and vital dialogue between Redford (as Tom) and Johanssen (as Grace) was the interface between those two worlds, and Tom's silence was just as significant as his succinct words. One lesson I got from this movie is the (sometimes graceful) acceptance of reality, including the changes that it brings.The scenes with Tom and Pilgrim are particularly insightful and intuitive, especially for Hollywood. We are compelled to wonder whether Tom had learned some kind of Native American energy (aura) assessment of the horse and had learned to communicate by controlled vibration or projected visualization. In The Horse Whisperer, Tom Booker healed two hearts, those of Grace and Pilgrim, while exposing his own to injury.The end result for the relationship between Annie and Tom, though, is not a formulaic tragedy or victory: The wounds must be realistically and gracefully accepted along with the pleasures enjoyed: A state of mind and soul that leads to an even disposition.One critical and beautiful part of the movie made me cry: Cherry Cooper (as veterinarian Liz Hammond) asked Annie for permission to "put down" Pilgrim. Hard-bitten executive Annie looked in Pilgrim's eyes.., and replied, "No."From this one word alone, we can see what Tom saw in her.I could have done without the branding/roping scenes, but that is perhaps my own denial of reality, and will not give this movie any fewer than ten stars.