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The Long Shot

The Long Shot (2004)

April. 18,2004
|
6.5
| Drama Family TV Movie

Annie Garret is a young woman who moves with her irresponsible husband Ross and their seven-year-old daughter Taylor from Colorado to a ranch in northern California where Ross abandons them after he fails to land a job. With no money and no friends, and Taylor and Annie's prized racehorse, Tolo, to look after, Annie lands a job at a ranch hand and stable person at a stud farm owned by the stern Mary Lou O'Brien who is hiding some person demons of her own. Despite Annie's own setbacks in life, she decides to find an outing by entering her horse in a high-stakes riding competition. But when her horse goes blind from a race illness, Annie must struggle with her hardships to put the impossible to the test.

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Reviews

Lovesusti
2004/04/18

The Worst Film Ever

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MamaGravity
2004/04/19

good back-story, and good acting

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Pacionsbo
2004/04/20

Absolutely Fantastic

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Dynamixor
2004/04/21

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

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TxMike
2004/04/22

This is not a great or complex movie but treats a family subject very well. It is refreshing for not having sex or bad language in it.Julie Benz is Annie Garrett. In a tragic turn of events when she was a teenager, her sister was killed in an accident and Annie's mother never was the same. Annie internalized this as her mother blaming her for the death, since the sister was running an errand that Annie had forgotten, so as an adult Annie had a very strained relationship with her mother.As a married woman with a young daughter, her life is further complicated by a husband who is very unreliable, and doesn't seem to really love Annie or their daughter, and regularly disappears.As the story starts, the family of three travel from Colorado to California for him to start a new job at a horse ranch, but when they arrive the job is gone. Quickly he is too. So Annie and daughter, broke, have to scrape for an existence.Their salvation is Marsha Mason as Mary Lou O'Brian, who runs a horse training farm, and agrees to hire Annie and let them stay in the guest house temporarily for $10 a night.The story develops from there as Annie blossoms on her own. Nice story. Gage Golightly, who at that age looked so much like a young Drew Barrymore, is the young daughter Taylor Garrett. John Livingston is the dastardly and unreliable husband Ross Garrett.SPOILERS: Annie also had her own horse, which came with an $8000 mortgage, and in the process he also became blind. Annie had been training for a show dressage competition, with $20,000 to the winner, using Mary Lou's red show horse, but the dastardly husband showed up and injured the horse, so she had to do the improbable, win the show on a blind horse. Which she did. She divorced her dastardly and unreliable husband and was developing a relationship with the nice local vet. Plus Annie and her mother began to heal their old wounds.

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doslobos
2004/04/23

I initially watched "The Long Shot" because it features Marsha Mason, one of my favorite actresses, but quickly became involved. Central to the story — dominating it — is a woman and her daughter — and a horse — abandoned by the woman's shiftless, perhaps vicious husband, who, mostly offstage, remains an important contributer to the plot. There is little that can be said about the movie without risking a spoiler, except that Mason remains as entertaining as she ever was. It is, despite the focus on horses, very much a "people" movie and the result is so exciting — especially emotionally — and satisfying that I think it's enough to say simply don't miss it. I grew up around horses and horse people and am normally suspicious of "horse movies." I wasn't even aware that this was one. And it turned out delightfully.Nuff said.

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Bartholomeu421
2004/04/24

The Long Shot is by far the best movie that Hallmark has ever done. Julie Benz is spectacular in this movie. It's a feel good movie. I cried at the end. I normally don't cry at movies, but this one made me. I give it two thumbs up. I definitely think that anyone who loves or even likes a good feel good, gives you goose bumps good movie should see it. If I can find it anywhere. I'm going to buy it. It's that good. I can't state enough how great Julie was in it. I think it's her best work. Next to her work on the Angel and Buffy series. Also if any of you are horse lovers, you'll also love this movie. Hallmark should show this movie more often. I've only seen it on t.v. three times. I don't know what else I can say about this movie. Except that it's a great family get together movie. If there is anyone out there who thinks this movie sucks, then you just don't know what a great movie is. The best part of the movie is when Annie's horse is learning how to adapt to his surroundings when he's blind. I love the way that Annie loves her horse so much that she wouldn't put him down. She knows that he can function even without seeing where he's going. She doesn't give up on him and it can teach people that even though things don't look so great. That you don't have to give up. I think that's what the movie is all about. Not giving up even though everyone else has. It just goes to show that you can overcome even the worst obstacles to achieve your goals and what you believe deep down in your heart. But I would have to say that the best part of the movie is when Annie decides to ride in the competition with her horse. Also the fact that they will was just heart wrenching. I cried at that moment. The other actors in the movie also do a great job. They add great energy to the story. They all play so well off each other and that's what makes the movie so great. They all make this movie great. All that I have written above is how much I love the movie. Also why I gave it a 10 out of 10.By, Katie (bartholomeu421)

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jlnic
2004/04/25

I am a Julie Benz fan from her days on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the vampress Darla. I nice to see her in a good old Hallmark film.**Spoilers ahead**The film itself is what your expect from a Hallmark Drama. The shiftless husband abandons his wife and daughter with no money and a bank lien on their horse. She finds work on a horse ranch with the owner who lost her own daughter. Her horse goes blind and she finds a love interest in the local veterinarian. In order to save her horse from the bank she enters a horse dancing competition. This being a Hallmark film I am guessing you know how is will end. The fact is the Julie Benz, along with her young co-star, make this movie believable and enjoyable Hallmark movie.

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