The Horse Whisperer Movie Review 1997

After her teenaged daughter Grace (Johansson) is injured in a riding accident, determined mom Annie (Thomas), believeing that the girl's recovery is tied to the horse's, takes child and horse to Montana to seek the help of horse healer Tom (Redford) in the big-screen adaptation of the Nicholas Evans novel. While there, chilly New York editor Annie warms up to Tom and the possibility of love. Like "The Bridges of Madison County," this adaptation removes the overwrought syrupy melodrama of its source novel to concentrate on mature themes like fidelity, trust, and fate. Fine performances by all (although Redford could be seen as a bit self-indulgent at times) and the beautiful Montana backdrop make up for the lack of sustained dramatic impact, which is probably due to the almost three-hour run time and some dramatic changes from the book.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 168 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Romantic Drama, Horses, Family Ties, Teen Angst, Moms, Modern Cowboys, Montana

Screenplay

Eric Roth, Richard LaGravenese

Cast

Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Neill, Chris Cooper, Dianne Wiest, Cherry Jones, Jeanette Nolan, Don Edwards, Ty Hillman, Kate (Catherine) Bosworth, Steve Frye

Cinematography

Robert Richardson

Director

Robert Redford

Music

Thomas Newman