Dream Horse [DVD]

“Dream Horse”   Distributed by Bleecker Street Films, 113 Minutes, Rated PG, Released May 21, 2021:

When thoroughbred trainer Federico Tesio observed “A horse gallops with his lungs, perseveres with his heart, and wins with his character,” he might’ve been referring to Dream Alliance, the championship racehorse whose meteoric career forms the basis of “Dream Horse,” the new movie from Bleecker Street Films.

Set during the early 2000s, in “Dream Horse” the residents of a tiny town in Wales dream big.  Mired in listlessness and apathy since the collapse of the local coal mining industry, the townspeople are inspired by a local bartender (Toni Collette) to pool their little available money and invest in the breeding and training of a thoroughbred racehorse.  Their impossible dream–to win the annual Grand National horse race.

Despite its roots in fairly recent real life events, “Dream Horse” unfortunately begins to trot through a familiar course almost as soon as the movie leaves the gate.  Directed by Welsh filmmaker Euros Lyn from a script from Neil McKay, the movie reframes a virtual glossary of cliches from every sports picture you’ve ever seen, from 1949’s “The Great Dan Patch” to 2003’s “Seabiscuit.”  Also the subject of the 2015 documentary “Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance,” some prior knowledge of the story might actually enhance the viewer’s enjoyment of “Dream Horse.”  That’s not good.

Colorful characterizations help the film along part of the way, but muddled filmmaking and pedestrian storytelling often make important scenes and plot points unclear and confusing.  During race sequences when Dream Alliance appears as one brown horse among a field of brown horses, the viewer often needs to rely on the racehorses’ identification numbers to augment the drama of the competition.  And that becomes a real problem when individual shots are seemingly framed to omit them.  

Still, in a picture filled to the brim with sweetly-rendered performances, Toni Collette stands out in an instinctive, lived-in characterization as Jan Vokes, the real-life local bartender who inspired her hometown to recover dreams and ambitions many believed they’d lost forever.  “We lost our jobs, our community, even our pride,” Collette’s Vokes tells the assembled news media when the town’s unlikely investment attracts the attention of the world, “Them Dream (Alliance) came along and reminded us what life is like when you have hope.”

Trailing Collette’s performance by a nose is Damian Lewis as accountant Howard Davies, the real-life brains behind the town’s investment.  Once nearly ruined by a similar endeavor, Lewis’ Davies reluctantly finds himself carried along by Vokes’ enthusiasm…despite a solemn promise to his wife to never again wager on a racehorse.  Familiar to American audiences for his Emmy-winning turn on TV’s “Homeland,” viewers hearing Lewis speaking in his native British tones might be briefly surprised, but the actor’s characterization quickly overcomes any lingering awkwardness.   

Filmed in authentic locations throughout Wales, “Dream Horse” despite some rich characterizations takes a terrific story and makes it…well, okay.  It’s the movie’s final image that provides the movie’s greatest impact:  During the closing credits the cast members link arms with their real-life counterparts to sing a lusty and swaggering karaoke version of the old Tom Jones power ballad “Delilah.”  And it’s that joyously looney impromptu performance rather than the movie itself that sends the audience out of the “Dream Horse” with a smile.  

“Dream Horse” is rated PG for some mild adult language concerns and thematic elements.

I loved this movie, the performances by Toni Collette, an Damian Lewis were excellent.
When will it be released on Blu ray ?