Walt Disney Pictures’ “Secretariat” movie releases to theaters on October 8th and stars the following actors:
- Diane Lane as Penny Chenery
- John Malkovich as Lucien Laurin
- Scott Glenn
- James Cromwell
- Dylan Walsh as Jack Tweedy
- Fred Dalton Thompson as Bull Hancock
- Kevin Connolly as Bill Nack
- Nestor Serrano as Pancho Martin
- Amanda (AJ) Michalka as Kate Tweedy
- Carissa Capobianco as Sarah Tweedy
- Margo Martindale as Miss Ham
- Sean Michael Cunningham as Chris Tweedy
- Nelsan Ellis as Eddie Sweat
- Eric Lange as Andy Beyer
- Graham McTavis as Carl Hatton
“Secretariat” is based on a true story of the 1973 Triple Crown winner – a horse named Big Red who was raced under the name Secretariat by his owner Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) and horse trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich). Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and won himself the title of one of the greatest race horses of all time.
The “Secretariat” movie details Penny Chenery’s family life and her family’s farm. Penny has an amazing drive when it comes to things she is passionate about – like keeping her family’s farm even when the funds are low, and to continue to make a name for her family by racing horses. When one very special horse is born, Big Red, Penny realizes that she may have just found the greatest race horse of all time.
The movie struck every emotional chord from start to finish. At first we were sad because of Penny’s mom passing away and her father being ill, but then we were given hope when she bonded together with her father’s secretary Miss Ham (Margo Martindale) and the two of them proved they would do anything to keep the farm afloat and not be forced to sell it.
The thrill we felt when Big Red began racing was more than we had expected. We already knew the story of the Triple Crown winning horse, but you still find yourself on the edge of your seat urging him to run faster and faster until you see him cross the finish line first and only then can you release a sigh of relief.
Diane Lane was the perfect person for the role of Penny – she is a strong actress who played the part of a determined business-savvy woman well. In addition, John Malkovich lends the perfect comedic element to the movie as his character Lucien Laurin. Even though Lucien is stubborn and seems angry on the outside, you can tell that underneath he is an extremely caring individual who wants the best for Penny and of course Big Red, who he agrees to train to race.
We highly recommend Walt Disney Pictures’ “Secretariat” for anyone who is a fan of heartwarming stories, thrilling movies about the underdog, and true stories that come to life on the big screen.
Let us know if you see “Secretariat” when it opens on October 8th and what you think of the film! Check out the official Trailer for Disney’s Secretariat below.
Watching Secretariat win 1973 Belmont is the greatest thing I have ever saw, and I saw it for the first time in 2000 (ESPN Sportscentury). I became an instant Secretariat fan, and have learned alot about him. I now love horse racing because of Secretariat, so I am really looking forward to the movie.
My son & his girlfriend saw this last night (was an advanced screening), he said it was pretty good.
Great Movie!! The shot of the empty final turn of the Belmont Stakes has to be one of the best ever–I won’t give it away to non-horse people, but it was just amazing–and definitelty true to the real thing. And Diane Lane–WOW, is she attractive!! Here’s one 70-year-old who fell in love with an actress in a movie. Go see it to have your heart warmed!