Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Ben Crane is a racehorse trainer whose life is slowly sliding apart. His horse farm has no horses and is being sold off bit by bit. He is almost estranged from his father and drifting away from his wife and daughter. Even his work as a trainer is unsatisfactory, being forced to toe the line imposed by his employer. And when he is forced to race a horse who isn't well, and the horse is injured as a result, things snap: Ben is out of a job, with the injured (and therefore worthless) horse as part of his termination package. What happens to the horse and, as a result, to Ben and his family, forms the rest of the film.This is good, wholesome stuff. Yes, it is perhaps predictable, but that doesn't really matter. No, it didn't actually happen (being "inspired by" is not the same as being "based on"), but that doesn't really matter either. What matters is that it is entertaining, carries some morality, and leaves you feeling good.And one of the things which impressed me is that Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning (in yet another one of those exceptional child performances), Elisabeth Shue and Kris Kristofferson, despite their familiarity as performers, had me believing that they were a real family.Good stuff.

Will watch as often as I can.....something about it! I saved to DVR a year ago, and first time I watched, was absolutely freaked in the first 10 minutes, and absolutely fell in love with the movie from there on. I so wish to meet these people who inspired this film, and of course the horse. But for me this will be a dream. Maybe the movies name caught my eye, and the name of the horse in the movie held me. Always been a dreamer ! And stories like this make me believe Dreamers can achieve, which I need. Dakota, Kurt, Elizabeth and Kris....awesome job. Have seen you all over the years in other things, but will NEVER forget you in this. Going to check that 2005 Breeders Cup online. Am very interested in seeing how things continued over the years since.

It's been a while since I last saw 'Seabiscuit' but 'Dreamer' bares a very strong resemblance. Like 'Seabiscuit' this too is about second chances. A second chance for the vet, Ben, to do something big, a second chance for reconciliation between a father and son, a second chance for Manolin to get back to the race and a second chance for Sueñador to compete again and do what she's best at. Compared to 'Seabiscuit' this one is a tad more syrupy. Perhaps it was made this way to appeal to children as well. But on the other hand, it has a more authentic look in terms of using props and location. The farm setting is quite beautiful and the performances are superb. Kurt Russell delivers a restrained performance as a father trying to make ends meet in order to provide for his family. Dakota Fanning is likable. Elizabeth Shue is first rate. Kris Kristofferson and Luis Guzman are very good too. Freddy Rodriguez is terrific and Sacrifice, who plays the title role, has done a fine job. Perhaps it wouldn't be a great idea to watch 'Dreamer' back to back with 'Seabiscuit' but otherwise one can enjoy it watching it with their kids.

In Lexington, Kentucky, the horse barn of the family Crane has been empty for years, without any horses, due to the financial difficulties of the family. When the female horse Sonya, a.k.a. Sonador (Dreamer, in Spanish) breaks one foreleg in a race, the owner Palmer (David Morse) decides to sacrifice the animal, but the trainer Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) accepts the injured horse as part of three months salaries owed by Palmer. His daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning) becomes very connected with Sonya, and while the horse is rehabilitated, the wounds in the ties of the Crane family are also healed."Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" is one of those beautiful, positive, optimistic movies, with a magnificent message for families. First, you must never give up your dream; following your dream, no matter how impossible it seems to be, magic may happen. The other one is that families shall always stay united, no matter how difficult the situation seems to be: the union makes the strength. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Sonhadora" ("Dreamer")