Aaron Huddleston
Movie Columnist

Cale Crane runs out and stands in front of her father’s truck as he intends to drive off and break his oft broken promise to take her to work with him. This sets the stage for the drama which unfolds over the 102 minutes of the film “Dreamer,” which is inspired by a true story.

Kurt Russell plays a down-on-his-luck racehorse trainer who is fired from his job when he refuses to have a horse put down in front of his daughter. As a part of his severance he receives the horse, Sonya, whose leg is broken. With the help of his father, Pop (played by country music legend Kris Kristofferson), and two of his fellow trainers, Ben sets out to get Sonya healthy enough to breed, which would bring in enough money to get him back on his feet and possibly even help him start a breeding business. Cale, however, wants to get Sonya back into racing shape.

This film ingeniously blends the story of a recovering racehorse with that of father-child relationships. Pop and Ben’s relationship has become strained to the point where, despite close proximity, they do not talk. In turn, Ben and Cale’s relationship is strained as well. The story focuses on the said relationships, while not becoming bogged down or over dramatizing them. Instead, it shows their development as it works into the story of Sonya.

The dialogue is well written and manages to be heart-wrenching without becoming overly sentimental.

A genius story, however, is moot without strong characters. In “Dreamer” all of the characters have personality, life and vitality. Ben Crane is disillusioned from a string of bad luck. His dreams of training champion horses have fallen by the wayside through years of failure and financial hardships. Cale Crane is a little girl who loves her father. She wants to see his dreams realized, and her dream is to help that happen. Mannolin (Manny), played by Freddy Rodriguez, dreamed of being the greatest jockey in the world. That dream was cut off by an accident on the racetrack which left him too afraid to race again. Cale wants to help Manny to get back in the saddle and realize his dream.

Great characters are cardboard without an equally genius cast behind them. And the cast of “Dreamer” was nothing short of genius. Writer/director John Gatins made a wise choice when he changed the lead, Cale Crane, from a boy’s role to a girl’s role specifically for Dakota Fanning, a talent who has been compared to Meryl Streep and has, at the age of 11, been hailed as one of the greatest actresses of our time. Indeed, Fanning’s performance in “Dreamer” is so natural that even the least imaginative viewer becomes convinced that she is truly experiencing the events played out on the screen. This could be said of the entire cast.

The story may have been good, but it is the chemistry between the characters that makes this movie great. Elisabeth Shue’s performance as the hard working mother who begs her husband not to give up on his dreams and tries to mend the father-child relationships lauds nothing but the highest praise from this critic. An actor myself, it is rare that a performance can keep me from seeing the actor through the character. Kurt Russell, Elisabeth Shue, Dakota Fanning and the entire rest of the cast did this masterfully.

The directing of this film was well done. This is most readily seen in the work of the actors. Even the best of actors, without good directing, manage an average performance at best. Aside from the acting, though, the directing was good. None of the shots, effects, angles or transitions were distracting nor did anything in the directing take the viewer out of the story. Save one continuity error in editing, the film flows wonderfully. It captures the viewers and pulls them into the story.

In all, John Gatins’ “Dreamer” is a real winner. It receives 5 out of 5 stars with ease. A great story combined with absolutely amazing acting make this film a must see. Thank you, Mr. Gatins, for renewing some hope for the quality family film! For anybody who wants to see morality in a great film, “Dreamer” is a dream come true.