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• Don't see this movie if you are over two! posted on 30 Aug 2009

  A terrible boring film with nothing at all to recommend it! I would TRY to divert a child's attention to doing anything else but seeing this piece of cinematic garbage! Poor old Zebra encounters a hard time then just gets up to WIN a horse race (where's the slo-mo?) A real Disney plotted piece of trash that should have had directors shot.Made and shown in the school holidays to entice babies.....the under threes may even think it foolish. I have heard of parents going to sleep during this movie and their kids having to wake them up. I don't blame them it's a typical snorefest with every single move plotted to exactly how you'd expect a Disney-like life to run.........booooooooring. Do not go under surgeon's warning of narcolepsy!Pete

• Enjoyed the movie posted on 20 Aug 2009

  Magnificent cinematography. I've never been to Kentucky. (Watched the credits. Now I've got to go to South Africa?) Final race reminded me a lot of Seabiscuit. Very edge-of-your-seat exciting and beautiful. 3D and CG artists did a great job with the talking animals. I was able to suspend my belief that animals could talk most of the time. (Except when the flies ate the poop and farted in the espresso. I had to remind myself THAT wasn't real). I thought the actress Hayden Panettiere, was very wholesome and endearing. She was every teenager. (Except in a few scenes where she was so darn beautiful it was almost distracting.)Loved seeing M. Emmet Walsh play a nice, old, curmudgeon. (I imagine most kids haven't seen Blood Simple yet.)I thought the dialog was very snappy. I laughed out loud several times. Goose had my favorite lines, especially the Godfather references.I was surprised at all the layers in the story. Concerning the human drama, the father/daughter relationship was true and honest. Fathers all over the world are scared to let their daughters pursue their dreams. Daughters all over the world are accusing their fathers of being old, washed-up, disillusioned dream-killers.Liked how the horses acted out gang warfare, racism (no pun intended) classism and ageism. I was surprised and pleased that the barn animals did their own ganging up and retaliating.The "development" of Stripes was quite a journey. (That opening scene just about did me in. I can watch people get blown up and tortured, but don't show me an abandoned animal.) Stripes was rescued, mentored, hopeful, alienated, successful, estranged, full of self-doubt, victorious, generous with his wealth and kindness. Nice message and theme for children and adults alike.Very clever having Dustin Hoffman as his mentor. Without seeing the credits, I identified his voice immediately (and saw him as a metaphor for Tucker -- veteran, wise, lots of black hair and short.) I wonder if Whoopi Goldberg really wanted to be a white, old goat? Hee hee. Such irony. Loved the African music as a means of centering Stripes. It brought to mind the movie Power of One.Interesting how the use of pop culture references can add a whole level of meaning and symbolism, isn't it? (We're ready to rumble...or was it race? You look like Elvis, 1975...Ebony and Ivory).It's amazing how we can all see the same movie and come away with such different impressions.

• By-the-numbers, flat, and predictable, even for a kid's film posted on 18 Aug 2009

  I admit it: if I were 10 years old (or younger), and "Racing Stripes" was the first movie of its type that I'd seen, I'd probably like it better. And while this is strictly hackwork, even the 2nd string and 3rd string actors involved here (and I count Muniz waaay back in the 3rd string as a voice actor, although he may improve with time) are obviously professionals - "Racing Stripes" is at least mostly competent.The trouble is, as an adult, I can see that the screenplay's got no heart, no juice, and no guts, and the director doesn't know how to give it any. Stack this up against "Cats And Dogs", and this film gets left in the dust. Stack it up against something like "Babe", and it doesn't even make it out of the gate. Both those films had the same theme as "Racing Stripes", ("You can do it if you try"), but here it just comes out flat - the hero wins because the hero is supposed to win, because that's what heroes do.For instance, a day or two before the big race, the Bad Horse from the Rich Stables horsenaps the hero's mare-friend, and Munoz's character is beaten and left unconscious by the hench-horses. Yet the very next scene, he's running around emoting , with no visible ill effects from the beating. Dammit, race horses are delicate creatures, for all their size, and even a small injury, something that leaves them limping, is enough to completely ruin their chances of winning a high stakes race (where the winning difference is often measured in .10ths of a second). The screenplay ignores this little aspect of horse-racing, which could have been milked for some real drama and suffering and anxiety - but no, that would be some actual emotion, and there is no room for that in this by-the-numbers tale of a maverick winning against the odds.Also bothersome - our hero actually gets some help during the race that none of the other horses get. The two flies zip back and forth several times between Stripes and his coach/mentor with tactical advice and last moment inspiration. I realize that this plot device is meant to invoke the "Use the Force, Luke" moment from the run on the Death Star, but...Excuse me, is this ethical? Or even legal? None of the other race horses are allowed this kind of assistance (that the film shows us, anyway), so how is Stripes' victory any kind of moral victory? It's as bad as movie like "Angels In the Outfield", where the ethics of using supernatural forces to cheat the other team of their deserved victory (cause your own team just ain't good enough to win on its own) are conveniently overlooked. In fact it's worse, because usually in the clutch championship moment, the hero has to pull off the big play on his own. Not here. I will admit that the final sprint to the finish, where Stripes reaches down and finds what he needs to win, is well done. It's almost worth all the 2nd rate work that precedes it. Anyone who has been in crew races, bike races or marathons can identify with those make-or-break emotional decisions. The voice acting - well, the two juvenile leads just can't surmount the drabness of the material. I feel this is the director's fault as much as the actors. I deride Muniz's voice talent, as he mostly got over on "Malcolm" with his looks and charm..., but still, he is a pro who carried a popular TV show. As a pro he is still better voice actor than 99 out of 100 amateur actors of the same age. So the director could have gotten better line readings out him (if only by happy accident) with better coaching. As it is, it sounds as if the two leads are reading the lines off cue cards for the first time, with no chance to punch up the drab dialog. The human "live" acting - well, the 'live' half of the screen play is "National Velvet Lite", written for a situation comedy (and given a lobotomy). The actors do the best they can and it's serviceable for a juvenile movie. For a family flick, there sure are a lot of poo and fart jokes, but those don't offend me. It DOES cement my opinion that the film team tried to make a "hipper" picture than, say, the old Disney films like "Herbie" and "The Nutty Professor" in attempt to hide the film's basic lack of invention. The trouble is, by centering the film around talking animals, they invite comparison not only to other live "talking animal" films, but also to animated classics like "101 Dalmations" and "The Aristocats", neither of which needed to worry about "hipness" (or fart jokes) to get over. For that matter, "Mr. Ed" and "Francis the Talking Mule" managed to be funny and whimsical without riffing on horse feces either. Don't misunderstand me. If your kids want to rent or buy this, or want to watch this when it comes on cable again,it won't kill you to watch with them. "Racing Stripes" is not offensively bad or stupid, it's just a little, um, lame, compared to other, better, more original kid's films. They'll probably enjoy it OK (although I can't see it displacing "Finding Nemo" or "A Bug's Life") and forget about it within a week. So will you.

• I loved this Movie posted on 12 Aug 2009

  I never give ten out of tens, unless the movie was REALLY good. Also, I am a huge horse lover, owning nine, and big into racing, so I was catching flaw after flaw in this movie.I loved this movie, although it was very predictable, I still liked it. The only flaws this movie had, were the Hayden P. parts. Don't get me wrong, she's an OK, actress, but I live around true hick accents, and her's was awful; they should have casted someone with a good hick accent. Also, they said three years later, and she Didn't look any older, c' mon, all 16 year olds, look different from their 12 to 13 year old self. Plus, she was WAY to tall and not skinny enough for being a jockey. The point is, a zebra could never win, ever, especially with a jockey that heavy. Jockeys are always under 100 hundred pounds, unless your 120 pounds like Sea Biscut. I thought what was funny, was the horses weren't even going at their "fastest" speed. If you watch the actually Kentucky Derby, then watch this movie, the race is in slow motion.I really loved Dustin Hoffman's role. He was the best! The goose was OK, good if you love potty humor. I loved the horses they used, they were gorgeous! Being around horses, I always get a tingly feeling when you can see the shiny muscles of a horse running, it's one of the prettiest sights you can ever see. I liked how they showed what a race horse really goes through, treadmills and all! Above all this movie was not only star studded, but good. I loved this. I'll be buying in a few days.

• Review: Racing Stripes posted on 15 Jul 2009

  "Racing Stripes" is a film that surprised me. You see, the only reason I really went to see this movie is because I heard that the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" teaser trailer was playing. I had prepared for the worst, but I was slightly surprised when I found out that this movie wasn't as bad as I had thought. After both "Babe" and "Gordy" were turned into nice slabs of bacon, I had figured that the whole live-action, talking animal movies were done. But I guess not. They certainly haven't gotten any better.The movie is about a zebra who is left behind by a circus owner and is taken in by a local Kentucky farmer named Nolan Walsh (Greenwood) and his daughter Channing (Panettiere). Once on the farm, Stripes (the name they opted to call the Zebra) meets the other wacky characters that live on the farm. My favorite of which is a Pelican who is on the run from the mob. His situation makes for a few funny moments and cheap laughs. Whoopi Goldberg and Jeff Foxworthy's characters are extremely boring and really bring the fun down. Especially Foxworthy...must he always act like such an annoying redneck? The story is typical, Stripes has trouble fitting in and wishes he were an actual horse, not an out-of-place zebra. He eventually tries to prove himself by racing. This is where the story picks up and the fun dies off a bit. To me Stripes wasn't a very likable character. He was often annoying and I think that Frankie Muniz is a bit too old to be voicing a young zebra. "Racing Stripes" doesn't do anything overly well, but it still doesn't fail at what it set out to accomplish.OVERALL THOUGHTS ON RACING STRIPES: Entertainment: A few laughs help to push the film along. 6/10 Plot: Very plain and predictable. 3/10Acting: Bland, the character don't seem to have much feeling. 5/10Music: Nice theme but very generic. 6/10 Direction: The film style is very plain, nothing special here. 5/10 Albert's Analysis: A few flies and a very miss-placed pelican save this movie from becoming the garbage everyone expected. 6/10

• Fun, fun fun...fun with stripes. A family zebra tale. posted on 11 Jul 2009

  I just got back from an advance screening of the film. It was mostly a fun movie, especially if you have small children with you.One problem I had with the film was the movement of the mouths. The technique is a little old-fashioned, so it takes about 20 minutes of film-watching for the awkwardness of it to go away. That's really fine though, since the first twenty minutes aren't that exciting anyways, except for a blurt in the rain explaining how Stripes (the zebra) ends up on the farm.The flies were a little bit over the top at times, but maybe that was just David Spade being David Spade. Not that it was bad, but I knew it was him as soon as it opened its mouth.I thought M. Emmet Walsh added a really nice touch to the film. He had the same homely quality he had in Christmas with the Kranks, so I think he was probably casted to accent that ability of his.All in all, this is definitely a family film, and definitely not a date film...unless your date is into zebras.Fun, fun fun...fun with stripes.

• The funniest film I have ever seen!!!! :) posted on 24 Apr 2009

  RACING STRIPES is a brilliant film. Because it is the funniest film I have ever seen, especially one involving animals. Goose the hit-man pelican is sublime. Trouble is, he can't hit targets to save his life!!! But what makes the film is when he finally gets it right and manages to land a load of pelican poop on Wendie Malick's hat. I clapped my hands because she thoroughly deserved it - as a nasty evil bitch, Malick is brilliant. Malick would have made a far better Cruella de Vil than Glenn Close.Hayden Panettiere is the most beautiful person on the planet, and I hope that she has great success as an actress if she decides to take up acting as a career.And I must say something about Stripes, the star of the film. You have to admire his determination and courage to be a champion racehorse. Your heart just goes out to him when he gets left behind and when the cruel snobbish racehorses sneer at him, belittle him and taunt him.The DVD is a MUST for any DVD collection, because you will want to laugh, laugh and laugh again. If the producers wish to plan a sequel, they will have to exceed the mark set by RACING STRIPES.

• Excellent! posted on 31 Mar 2009

  Don't be swayed by the negative reviews...I don't know what it takes for some folks to enjoy a movie! I took my 8 year old to see this and we both spent most of the movie in laughter. There is something for EVERYONE in this film! On top of a great story and an enjoyable script, there are many, many lessons for children to learn within this film. It was so good to hear children splitting their sides in laughter during the movie. And, in places, adult laughter drowned out the kids! This movie has humor on all levels. It will definitely be added to our DVD collection upon release. This is Rudy and The Little Engine That Could all rolled into one. Don't miss this or you'll be sorry!

• Best Family movie of 2005! posted on 01 Mar 2009

  I went out and saw this movie the day after I came out and found it to be the best family and comedy movie i have seen in a long time. This movie is one movie that all parents can trust taking their kids to go out and see. This movie starts out with a Zebra that got abandoned from the circus, and a father finds him and takes the Zebra home to his daughter. The girl names the Zebra, Stripes. Stripes believes all along he is a racehorse but during the movie a horse tells him he is nothing but a Zebra. With all the help from his barnyard friends, and the girl believing in him he turns out to be a perfect racehorse. If you want to go out and see a great family movie, Racing Stripes is the one to go out and see. I give this movie a 10/10

• Great movie for all! posted on 05 Feb 2009

  I think it's amazing that there are so many movies out there with violence and foul language and people think it has to have that to be a good movie...yet...this movie is WONDERFUL and has none of that! This is a great movie and a funny movie for the whole family! My husband and I enjoyed every minute of it! I would recommend it to every one! It has a great cast of characters. I don't want to spoil it for you, so go out and get this movie! It's a must have!!Come on, stop reading...go buy it! It truly is a wonderful movie!!!

• The man named Frederik Du Chau and his way of making movies posted on 03 Feb 2009

  There are movies that are made for an audience in particular. Those movies everyone can see and enjoy without any problems; the family. The truth is that they think they are made for everyone when they are not. These movies' makers are lucky that the parents go to see the piece with their children, and try to pretend they are surprised, knowing every word after the one they've just heard.I've got no problem with that; I like to watch those films. I just ask for some good film-making. If you're going to give me a stupid plot with one-dimensional characters, no interesting story, lousy actors, easy direction and no charm; I won't get in. This is why some of these movies are likable and ultimately enter the category of good movies. Unfortunately, "Racing Stripes" doesn't qualify (besides being close enough), neither does its director's first feature; "Quest for Camelot".It could be a matter of lacking elements, maybe. Maybe Frederik Du Chau needs that touch, able to make an impression that differences his movies, or in other words, make them stand out. There's no doubt he puts dedication to his work; fact proved because he trained animals in the film, and worked with them making them in some occasions more important than the live flesh actors.That could have been one problem. I don't remember tolerating animals talking. But I'm not referring to Simba in "The Lion King", or Woody in "Toy Story", both animated movies; I'm referring to real animals, like the ones in "Cats & Dogs". Their story was heart whelming, but… Still now, when a computer arranges the animals' mouth movement, I remain unconvinced. Then in this film some computer animated animals, flies specifically, were added. Nice touch; funny, but still not enough.Another incredible disappointment comes from the side of the distributors, because the trailer (and I don't know who influenced on that) gives away the film's entire plot line, fact that ruins a little bit the pleasant experience the film is. Anyway, the plot line becomes obvious as soon as the movie starts, and we meet the animals introduced in the mentioned trailer along the ride. Some big stars are seriously underused (Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Clarke Duncan), and except for Joe Pantoliano, no one seems to be having fun. Mandy Moore lends her beautiful voice, gets some money; and the main role, Stripes is left to…Frankie Muniz? I was talking about the animals being more important than the stars; it happens with that zebra, a much more expressive being than the monotone Muniz (I meant his voice).The live flesh actors do their best with Du Chau's and his pals' screenplay. Bruce Greenwood excels in the typical father role and the promising Hayden Panettiere leaves nothing to desire with her daring Channing. The ending, after everything I've explained, is not very comfortable. Not as comfortable as the ending of "Evelyn", a movie comparable to this one. I actually mentioned the name to give Du Chau a hint so he follows a role model when doing his next film; maybe Bruce Beresford. It could be helpful.

• A fun movie for the whole family. posted on 20 Jan 2009

  I can't see why the rating for this movie is so low. True, there is only one novel thing here, the little Zebra who grows up wanting to be a race horse. Not too different, though, from "Babe", the pig who wanted to be a sheep dog. Several of us, grown up and children, watched and enjoyed "Racing Stripes." The DVD has interesting extras, showing how the animal trainers worked to get the various animals to "act." The story involves real people, Bruce Greenwood as Nolan Walsh, former race horse trainer, and his pretty daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere). Mom died and we don't find out right away why. But the animals also speak to each other, in a way that is very well done, using a host of fine actors as the voices. We found it to be one of the more fun movies in recent years.SPOILERS. Mr. Walsh is driving home one night in the rain and finds a baby Zebra in a box in the road, accidentally left behind while a circus van was repairing a flat tire. Brought home, Stripes, the Zebra, grows up next to a race horse training facility, and only wants to be a race horse. Young Channing wants to ride Stripes but dad is against it, her mom apparently died as a result of a riding incident. All the various animals end up helping Stripes, who also falls in love with a pretty white horse. Against all odds, dad trains Stripes and, with the help of a couple of horse flies, manages to win the "Kentucky Open." (In an alternate ending, available on the DVD, Stripes and the white horse had a child, striped in the front and white in the rear. I wonder, can that really happen? Can they be crossed?)

• "Racing Stripes" is no thoroughbred, but no need for the humane killer either. posted on 11 Dec 2008

  In the field of live-action talking animal movies, "Racing Stripes" is no "Babe." Nor is it "Stuart Little." It's more like a "Paulie" - meaning that it's no classic, and a bit predictable, but it's a perfectly entertaining little movie.I saw the movie at a preview screening, and it opened with an announcement that this is the Official Movie for Red Nose Day 2005. In case you're wondering, Red Nose Day is an annual event held by the charity concern Comic Relief - plastic crimson schnozzles are often worn, hence the name. Fortunately, "Racing Stripes" was not actually made for charity, which is just as well given the low quality of a lot of things with good intentions behind them; the story of a little zebra taken in by Kentucky farmer/ex-champion horse trainer Bruce Greenwood and daughter Hayden Panetierre who grows up with the will to be a racehorse benefits from good voice acting (Frankie Muniz as our hero Stripes, Dustin Hoffman as the Shetland pony who trains him, Whoopi Goldberg as his goat best friend, Mandy Moore as Stripes' actual horse love interest - Mandy and Muniz also voiced animals in "Dr. Dolittle 2"; will they ever appear on screen as HUMANS? - and Fred Dalton Thompson as the arrogant champion stallion who wants the cup to remain in the family) and nice turns from the humans (Greenwood, M. Emmet Walsh, Wendie Malick as the closest the movie comes to a human villain, and budding babe Hayden).The movie sometimes goes overboard with its comic characters - particularly a Mafia pelican voiced by Joe Pantoliano and a pair of flies done by Steve Harvey and David Spade - and not all the effects are that brilliant (and is it me, or is South Africa - where most of the movie was shot - less convincing at standing in for America than Australia or Canada?), but it's less sappy than it could have been and short of condescension. It won't change your life, but it's pleasant - and it does make sure you're cheering on the right animal in the big race.But Bryan Adams? And STING?

• An average family movie posted on 09 Dec 2008

  Racing Stripes is a regular modern Hollywood's family friendly movie with all typical clichés and flaws. In this movie there are two subplots united into the big one: first one with human characters while second is about talking animals. These two worlds and two story lines exist without direct contact and most of the time they not depend on each other. The only common point of them is that young girl (main human character) and zebra Stripes, which accidentally came into a small farm, are dreaming about one thing: to take part in horse races and win. Nothing promising and nothing original here except a zebra instead of a horse. The whole story-line is also quite predictable and closer to the end it become even dull. All the human characters are clichéd and boring and of course don't expect any decent acting in Racing Stripes except for some voice performances. The animal characters are quite different from each other. Like in other similar movies some of them created for a story, some of them (like two flies) only for making fun. But even jokes in the movies are so typical and mostly silly. Finally this movie failed in emotional level. Despite all these flaws Racing Stripes is not particularly a bad movie. It's just on a same level with most of modern family friendly movies, the average quality of which is decreasing with every year. Most of the time the movie is not annoying and the jokes are not very rude. The voice performances are much better than performances of human characters and cinematography in many moments wasn't bad. So don't be too strict. Most of kids will like it but for grown-ups it's not the best way to have a good time. But at the same time it's not the worst way.My grade: 5.7

• A little predictable posted on 13 Nov 2008

  Okay, don't get me wrong, I love Hayden, and I think this is a brilliant film, and I do know that it is a U rated film, so it was expected to be like this, but...I think the storyline was a little too predictable.For example, when we learnt Channing's mother had died from falling off a horse - we KNEW the first thing that would happen when Channing raced Stripes was that she'd fall off. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was a little obvious that Stripes was going to win, and Trenton's Pride actually DID like Stripes.But other than that, Hayden's acting was brilliant, and I loved the two flies - they were absolutely hilarious. The script was well written, and aside from the predictability of the storyline, it was also well written.

• Sleeping in a pool of sweat posted on 31 Aug 2008

  That you may suffer from a combination of "sleeping sickness" and diabetes is a distinct possibility if you watch Raising Stripes, a tedious and incompetent film, the sort that gives family films a bad name. There isn't a shred of originality in the plotting or performances, nor will you find any humor that doesn't depend on the release of some sort of excrement or intestinal gas.I'd complain about the waste of the talents of Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, David Spade, Steve Harvey, Fred Thompson, and M. Emmet Walsh, but why bother? They're all adults and they signed on the dotted line to appear in voice or flesh in this trash. Before you fall asleep you might enjoy a few moments of South African scenery--masquerading as Kentucky--and some beautiful horseys.Oh, well, the ten year old in the house liked it, sort of.

• Rudolph the Black-striped zebra... posted on 09 Aug 2008

  January seems to have become the dumping ground for kid's movies that producers don't believe have a chance against the summer glut of blockbusters. Previous years have offered the mediocre "Snow Dogs" and the outright terrible "Kangaroo Jack," so hopes are not high for films released during this period. However, "Racing Stripes" is a children's movie that manages to find itself between being not particularly inspired while not outright terrible either.During a rainstorm one night in Kentucky, farmer Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) stumbles on a baby zebra that was accidentally left behind by a circus. He takes it home where his daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere)is instantly smitten with him. They decide to keep him, and she dubs him Stripes.Stripes (voice of Frankie Muniz) grows up on the farm, which is next to a horse track. He dreams of racing with the other horses, but is constantly taunted by Trenton's Pride (voice of Joshua Jackson), a thoroughbred expected to follow in his sire's hoofsteps. Stripes is encouraged by his fellow barnyard animals, which include Shetland pony Tucker (voice of Dustin Hoffman), the motherly goat Franny (voice of Whoopi Goldberg), as well as newcomer Goose (voice of Joe Pantoliano), a wise guy pelican on the run from his fellow gangster fowl. He also has his eye on Sandy (voice of Mandy Moore), a jumping horse who finds him cute.Channing also wishes to enter the races, and with no horses on the farm she has her hopes set on Stripes. However Nolan forbids her to enter the races. A former champion horse trainer, Nolan has given up his career after a family tragedy. This makes him the constant target of ridicule by track owner Clara Dalrymple (Wendy Malick), his former boss. Eventually things come to a head, and Nolan must decide between allowing his daughter to race or letting his own demons squander her potential."Racing Stripes" is clichéd and predictable, but it's still an enjoyable bit of diversion for kids. The sports formula is put into full effect here, but the performances manage to elevate the script above the mundane.Director Frederik Du Chau, whose only previous work is helming the atrociously bad animated film "Quest for Camelot," manages to make the animal scenes quite entertaining. The human scenes tend to pale by comparison.However, actor Greenwood is an accomplished enough performer to breath some life into his role. Adults in the audience will find someone they can relate to, and Du Chau was wise to hire someone who could give the material added meaning just by being a screen presence. Panettiere's Channing is less developed but still likable, and should have all the little girls jealous with her friendship with Stripes. Malick on the other hand goes the way of scene-chewing villainy with her role, which is a cop out but not terribly so. She seems to enjoy invoking cartoon vamp Cruella DeVil with her role, which manages to go mesh well enough with the animal scenes.In the voice department, Muniz doesn't give Stripes much personality, but he's a game enough presence to make the character likable. Hoffman and Goldberg manage to underplay their roles, which thankfully add a note of drama to the otherwise goofy animal scenes. Moore's Sandy isn't distinguished but is sweet all the same, and Jackson manages to voice Trenton's Pride as a jerk who is still sympathetic, especially when you see his mean streak comes from a psychologically abusive father.Pantoliano seems to have fun sending up his own tough guy roles from "The Goonies" and "The Sopranos." Less notable but still humorous are Jeff Foxworthy as bird-brained rooster Reggie and Fred Dalton Thompson as race horse legend and bully Sir Trenton. The only problem comes from Steve Harvey and David Spade, who as the flies Buzz and Scuzz provide the movie's odious comedy relief with tons of bathroom humor."Racing Stripes" is not "Seabiscuit," nor does it aspire to be. It's an allegory about prejudice and proving stereotypes wrong, just done with talking animals. While not particularly great it's still fun, which seems to be in this era of children's fare being mindless slapstick drivel almost more then we can ask for from filmmakers.6 out of 10 stars. Not a great film by any means, but at least it's entertaining when not trying to be gross.

• Babe meets Seabiscuit by way of National Velvet and Rocky posted on 22 Jul 2008

  I had a feeling before I went to see Racing Stripes that I knew how it would turn out before the credits rolled; that I even knew which Hollywood formula David Schmidt and Frederick Du Chau had elected to follow. I wasn't wrong.That said, Racing Stripes is as charming a movie in its way as Babe is. The animals can talk to each other when humans aren't around or aren't paying attention, and the dialog as much as the action is what moves the picture along.We have as our nonhuman heroes Stripes, a zebra accidentally abandoned by a circus who wants to race with all his heart; and Tucker, a Shetland pony who has participated in the training of many thoroughbreds as their stable companion. That is, as the humans see him; when they aren't around he's very like Mickey in the first three Rocky movies. On the people side, we have Nolan and Channing Walsh, the father-daughter team who own Stripes and Tucker. He's an ex-racehorse trainer who lost his heart when his amateur jockey wife was killed in a racetrack accident and she is the teenage girl who loves Stripes and wants to race him as her mother would have. A little cardboard cutout-ish for my taste, but not obtrusively so. There is also Woodzie, a 'track rat' who is the first outside the Walsh menagerie to believe in Stripes as a racer. Woodzie is somewhat disreputable (and I do wish there had been some explanation as how why he limps; is he a crippled ex-jockey or just carrying the damage of not paying off his bookie promptly?), but he knows what he's looking at and is instrumental in convincing Nolan to train Stripes.Of course, where you have heroes you have to have villains. On the animal side, there is Sir Trenton, a black thoroughbred stud who is bound and determined that A) Stripes will NOT be permitted to sully the racetrack with his presence; and B) That his son Trenton's Pride will continue the family tradition of winning the Kentucky Open. On the human side we have Clara Dalrymple, a wealthy bloodstock owner who is a combination of spoiled rich girl and Class A bitch, who in my opinion is in desperate need of a spanking.Without getting into the plot, I note that the supporting voices cast does an excellent job. Then again, when was the last time Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Fred Dalton Thompson or Joe Pantoliano turned in bad performances? They are total professionals even when they don't appear on-camera.The one thing about the movie that grated, apart from the two horseflies Buzz and Scuzz who serve as mere comedy relief until the race actually starts, was the constant reference to other classic movies. I spotted references to Field of Dreams, Seabiscuit, Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Good Morning Vietnam, Babe, The Karate Kid, The Godfather and Scarface. And that doesn't count the homage to Rocky IV in the training-for-the-big-race sequence. There IS such a thing as overkill, folks. I know this film is aimed more at the kids than at adults, but Schmidt and Du Chau do a good enough job of entertaining and holding the adults' interest that most of their references qualify as gratuitous.The bottom line is that Racing Stripes is a movie parents can feel good about taking their kids to watch. The kids will be entertained and the parents won't end up with their brains dripping out of their ears like tapioca. This flick isn't going to win any Oscars, but it's a good example of its type. It's quite enjoyable regardless of your age.

• A Good Movie. posted on 06 Jul 2008

  This is a great movie to take your kids to because it is all about a young zebra that has been abandoned. I agree with the other guy in saying that it has a huge amount of jokes for all ages. I would Highly recommend this for young children. This movie also has a great list of people / actors in it. I for one hope that they make a second to this good film. I again cant see what the other mean this movie "sucks" because it don'st and is a great movie to take you little kids to see or buy them the DVD for Christmas as i have already said above. Puls it has the star from the hit TV show Malcom in the middle in it. So if your kids watched that then they should know him.

• Surprisingly good posted on 06 Jul 2008

  This started in Australia early, so my partner and I went to see it for a change of pace. Expectations weren't what you would call high (this is the home of Babe after all), but we both enjoyed it quite a bit.The film is well put together, visually it's attractive, earthy, and the horses used are stunning -- any horse lovers will adore the movie, despite the main character being a Zebra.Actually, Stripes himself is overshadowed by some of the excellent supports, including Hoffman's unappreciated pony and Pantoliano's gangster Pelican called "Goose" (a very funny role). One exception is Snoop Dogg's Basset Hound -- a waste of time, really. Then there are the horseflies, Spade and Harvey -- some of their jokes are dated (an M.C. Hammer gag in 2005???), but they're usually a high point.The human characters were well cast -- Bruce Greenwood gives a very down to earth performance and is totally believable as a mourning farmer. Hayden Panettiere is a standout, look for big things from her in the future. I remember her as Will Patton's mini-coach daughter in Remember The Titans -- she's grown up with a great look and fine acting.Direction is fine, the effects of animals talking, etc are all well done. Story is basic, but I guess that's what you want in a family film. Funny animals, good values/morals -- definitely worth watching.