There are some things in life that are as predictable as the sun rising in the east, but none moreso than Disney picking an underdog sports story and turning it into a motion picture.  Over recent years, they have given us The Rookie, Remember the Titans, and Miracle.  For 2010, Disney gives us Secretariat.

Sunday afternoon of my visit to LA found Spaldy and I headed to the Arclight Cinema in Sherman Oaks. Spaldy had been raving about how nice a theater this was and wanted me to experience a movie here.  The only thing playing that neither of us had seen was Secretariat.  After picking up our tickets with assigned seats, we grabbed our concessions and then settled into the theater for a relaxing afternoon.

Secretariat is based on the events surround his birth and the first 3 years of his life. For those not familiar, Secretariat was the last horse to win the Triple Crown.  Diane Lane plays a housemother suddenly thrust into the world of horse-racing, with fading support from the family.  John Malkovich turns in a fun performance as the trainer and helps lighten the mood.  Disney tried to position this as Oscar-bait for Diane Lane, but there was nothing extraordinary about her performance.

My advice:  See it on the big screen — worth full price; solid movie, just not Oscar-worthy…