All Hat (2007)

You won't be disappointed!

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Saw this on Netflix streaming, pleasant enough small story, with budget production values. Guitar music sound track, static camera angles, stock dialog, stock acting. Filmed in Canada with mostly Canadian actors."Are you an A-hole because you're rich, or are you rich because you're an A-hole?""Why can't we both get along?" "I'd settle for half of that, why don't you just get along?" "I see you are all hat and no cattle." And that is where the title comes from, referring to the dishonest son of the rich horseman in a coma.The movie comes across as more of a "made-for-TV" movie, but R-rated for language. In many ways similar to the 1999 movie with a horse-racing theme, "A Face to Kill For." I have been a Rachael Leigh Cook fan for a long time, I think she is the cutest thing in movies, and she is a fine actress also. Here she plays a hot-headed jockey, Chrissie Nugent.There isn't a lot of benefit to describing the story line here, it involves honest farmers and horse people being badgered by a dishonest son of a horse owner. In the end the good guys come out smelling like roses, while the bad guy gets set up for a big FAIL. Not much to recommend unless you like the actors.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie that has something for almost every one. Two beautiful women, lots of beautiful horses and some really good acting. Add in the conflict between rich & poor or good and evil and it's all there.The fact that it's set in Ontario, my home, is a big bonus. I get so tired of movies made in Canada pretending to be some where in the US.The fact that it was obviously shot in early Fall when the leaves are changing makes every outdoor scene a feast for the eyes and considering this is mainly an outdoor story that says a lot.I went into this not knowing what to expect because I didn't look up the movie before seeing it. I watched it due to the strange name and it finished with me wanting more.

The plot summary on IMDb for this film is more aspiration than actuality. it's overstated and the film doesn't really match the description. Although the film does have some humorous lines and some horses, it is more of a drama than a comedy or western.The acting, filming, and sound are all fine. The film has nice scenic locations and a solid cast of decent actors who seem to do their best with what they're given. Even the overall story had potential.The major problem with this film is that the story elements aren't pulled together as well as they could be. There are multiple on-going story lines but none really go too deep. And, information seems to be missing. As such the film just felt very choppy; a bit of a story here and a bit of a story there and by the end you get a larger, albeit incomplete, picture. Kind of like using high quality silk to make a poorly woven fabric with a bunch of frayed ends.

A classic tale of the little people vs the big 'uns. It is set in a community that could be anywhere in rural North America under threat of suburbanization, but happens to be Ontario. This could matter from a box office point of view since it is sufficiently recognizable to Americans as to not need to be seen as a Canadian film.The soulful, moody score from guitarist Bill Frisell helps carry the film forward as the down-on-their luck band of battlers try to fight the rising tide as represented by the billionaire's dastardly son. Sonny Stanton is played so interestingly by Noam Jenkins that you end of sort of liking him anyway. My favorite scene focuses on him getting into deeper trouble losing tons of money at the track.Lisa Ray and Rachael Leigh Cook fight for most delicious horse country babe. Ernie Hudson, Keith Carradine, David Alpay, and Joel Keller, among others, give character performances that provide a fun weft to the scheming warp of counter-scam mastermind played by an understated-but-credible Luke Kirby.Proof that Canadian film can be fun, I greatly enjoyed this film!