Flicka
DVD 
|
Director:
Michael Mayer Actors: Alison Lohman Tim McGraw Maria Bello Rating:
 Printer-Friendly version
|
 |
|---|
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A young female attempts to tame a wild horse despite the opposition from her father.
IS IT A GOOD MOVIE?
Ah yes, another entry in the "horse" movie genre. There seems to be an awful lot of them lately... with FLICKA being at the bottom of the barrel. It wouldn't be so bad if it were just a forgettable family film, but it garners such a level of frustration that I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry. The movie quickly hops every five minutes between two different stages:
(1) Blandness.
(2) Melodrama.
And that's about it. It also doesn't help that the whole thing feels so awkward and forced. People laugh when nothing's funny; people smile as if they're posing for a picture; people talk out loud even when nobody's around... It all appears very staged. I half expected to see the words "Wyoming: The Greatest State in the U.S." to flash on-screen, possibly alongside a whip sound effect or a guy shouting "Yee-haw!"
By far the most incriminating aspect of the production is its protagonist. Lohman's character is supposed to come across as sweet but with a "wild spirit." Instead, she simply comes across as annoying. She cries constantly, she never listens to logic or reason, and everything bad that happens in the movie happens solely because of her. The only time my level of excitement would pick up is whenever she'd get bucked off the horse and fall on her ass ("Take that, ya whiney bitch!"). I bet it would be easier to root for her (which apparently we're supposed to) if there was actually some connection between her and the horse. But there isn't. And in turn, the "emotional bond" feels merely like a girl that won't stop bitching about keeping some batshit crazy horse (think of her like a kid at Toys-R-Us - "But daaaaaddy... I waaaaant it! I WANT THE HORSEY!").
All that said, the movie's target audience still might find FLICKA to be a mildly enjoyable distraction. I imagine little girls will get a kick out of it, and some parents will probably tolerate the movie alright, but I can't imagine anybody wanting to own it. There are far better "horse" movies out there (like DREAMER, BLACK BEAUTY, and SEABISCUIT, to name a few).
(1) Blandness.
(2) Melodrama.
And that's about it. It also doesn't help that the whole thing feels so awkward and forced. People laugh when nothing's funny; people smile as if they're posing for a picture; people talk out loud even when nobody's around... It all appears very staged. I half expected to see the words "Wyoming: The Greatest State in the U.S." to flash on-screen, possibly alongside a whip sound effect or a guy shouting "Yee-haw!"
By far the most incriminating aspect of the production is its protagonist. Lohman's character is supposed to come across as sweet but with a "wild spirit." Instead, she simply comes across as annoying. She cries constantly, she never listens to logic or reason, and everything bad that happens in the movie happens solely because of her. The only time my level of excitement would pick up is whenever she'd get bucked off the horse and fall on her ass ("Take that, ya whiney bitch!"). I bet it would be easier to root for her (which apparently we're supposed to) if there was actually some connection between her and the horse. But there isn't. And in turn, the "emotional bond" feels merely like a girl that won't stop bitching about keeping some batshit crazy horse (think of her like a kid at Toys-R-Us - "But daaaaaddy... I waaaaant it! I WANT THE HORSEY!").
All that said, the movie's target audience still might find FLICKA to be a mildly enjoyable distraction. I imagine little girls will get a kick out of it, and some parents will probably tolerate the movie alright, but I can't imagine anybody wanting to own it. There are far better "horse" movies out there (like DREAMER, BLACK BEAUTY, and SEABISCUIT, to name a few).
THE EXTRAS
Not much.
Audio Commentary (with director Michael Mayer)
Deleted Scenes (4:23 - with optional commentary by director Michael Mayer): There are 2 deleted scenes and 1 extended scene.
There's also a Music Video (entitled "My Little Girl," by Tim McGraw), a small collection of Bloopers, a Gag Reel (yes, different than the bloopers), and three Previews.
Audio Commentary (with director Michael Mayer)
Deleted Scenes (4:23 - with optional commentary by director Michael Mayer): There are 2 deleted scenes and 1 extended scene.
There's also a Music Video (entitled "My Little Girl," by Tim McGraw), a small collection of Bloopers, a Gag Reel (yes, different than the bloopers), and three Previews.
FINAL DIAGNOSIS
If you're really desperate for some old-fashioned, wholesome family entertainment, then there are certainly worse movies out there than FLICKA. Then again, there are much better ones, too. In the past decade alone it seems as though we've gotten over half a dozen of these "young-protagonist-and-their-horse" movies (do we really need this many?). The only reason I see to pick this one up is if you have a daughter and need something to keep her occupied; as simple and forgettable as it is, FLICKA will that void quite nicely.
