lavatch
Based on a true story, "50 to 1" is an excellent story about a thoroughbred race horse and the improbable race to glory in the 2009 Kentucky Derby.The film is successful in establishing the bond among the trainers from New Mexico who believed in the horse and in each other. The relationship that was developed most completely was between Mark Allen (Christian Kane) and Chip Woolley (Skeet Ulrich). After the two men met and became friends in a barroom brawl, the owner trusted his trainer so fully that, despite his mediocre background, the friend had the freedom to use his techniques for training the horse named "Mine the Bird." The balance of the cast was also excellent, especially the jockey who was conscripted at the last moment to ride in the Kentucky Derby. The filming was effective with location footage from Churchill Downs. The recreation of the running of the 2009 Kentucky Derby was also first-rate.Although it was a modest film, "50 to 1" was well-conceived as a film not only about horse racing, but about the camaraderie of those who love these beautiful animals.
sounddogs_dot_com
I enjoyed the movie, mostly because I love horse racing. The main character, Chip Woolley comes across unlikeable and never redeems himself. This was a very interesting path chosen by the Director and it made me wonder if that's how the man is in real life. Hope not. Calvin Borel was amazing, and the historical footage they used of him was priceless. Major props to racetracks, race announcers, and corporations that held rights to the intellectual properties used in the film.Last thought, wasn't Bob Baffert a quarter horse guy running out Tucson, Arizona ? I can't imagine a quarter horse guy being down on "cowboys" like Mark Allen. I am no fan of Baffert but it seems like a disingenuous portrayal of the man.
Steve Pulaski
Unlike other popular sports like football, basketball, and baseball, to me, horseracing isn't that enjoyable unless "x" amount of money is on the line. Think about it: your average trip to the racetrack, as a viewer, not a gambler, is a potluck assembly of horses and jockeys, most of which you've probably never heard of, you indulge in a beer or two, you people watch a bit, everyone from the derelicts to the clean-cut middle class families taking a walk on the wild side for the day, watch a few races, and then leave home with a slightly emptier wallet because of what you had to drink. With football or basketball, you at least have the player/team loyalty at hand, there's constant excitement, there's far less dead-air, and one can enjoy the experience and anticipate an outcome without having money on the line.I mention this because 50 to 1 seems to adhere to that same principle of horseracing only being exciting when there's something on the line. Otherwise, you're simply watching others winning, losing, or obtaining large debts. This particular film concerns a group of New Mexico cowboys, who purchase an undersized thoroughbred racehorse for about $400,000 in order to have a shot at the 2009 Kentucky Derby. The horse, named "Mine That Bird," is an unpredictable breed and the odds, physically and in terms of performance, are stacked against it. One of the ringleaders in acquiring the horse is Chip Woolley (Skeet Ulrich), a crabby, domineering man who spends most of the film limping on crutches and scolding his assistant Alex (Madelyn Deutch). Another cowboy is Mark Allen (country singer Christian Kane, who even has a song or two of his in the film), who helps Chip to get the horse to the Derby, despite the astronomical 50 to 1 odds of the thoroughbred winning.50 to 1 is the kind of film that thrives on faith and optimism without the need of incessantly showing it, which is one of its few perks. Common with these faith-based films (a category in which 50 to 1 does indeed belong to, though not as explicitly as others) is the need to affirm such devout beliefs with every scene and thank the lord almighty with every breath the characters take. The film may not be that preachy, but it sure does a good job of lacking the character development and human interest many of its contemporaries also struggle with. Nobody in 50 to 1 is a character, not even Ulrich, who, again, resorts to being a mercifully cranky individual with little personality.The film also seems to be on autopilot most of the time, casually gliding at a leisurely pace, making use of its one-hundred and forty-four minute runtime through the act of hanging out more than actually seizing a moment. It reminds me a lot of Richard Linklater's The Newton Boys (also starring Ulrich, though in a supporting role), where a great story is squandered by an approach. Admittedly, horseracing is an eclectic subject, but the "odds are against us" sporting movie ranks as one of the oldest clichés in the book, so an unconventional topic combined with a cliché approach puts this film at a disadvantage right off the bat.Ultimately, 50 to 1 is a film of conversations that are one of three things: either they are entirely uninteresting, draped in lackluster quips and eye-rolling humor, mean-spirited, verbal assaults from one of the characters to another, or dialog rooted in the principles of clichés and setting up a rags to riches story. With that, the film winds up being more of a flabby stageplay, tiresomely trekking territory we've already hit before and not giving audiences much in the way to sympathize with or care about.Finally, the MPAA granted 50 to 1 a PG-13 rating, for suggestive material and "a bar brawl;" you know a film is bad enough when a bar brawl exists in it and it's still given a poor rating.Starring: Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane, Madelyn Deutch, and William Devane. Directed by: Jim Wilson.
