SYNOPSIS

Katie (Alison Lohman) has just finished up the year at the private Wyoming bording school her family pays for her to go to. She is thrilled to be away from the school and back on the ranch she loves, and her family is equally excited to have her back. Unfortunately, though, there’s trouble. First, business isn’t as good as it usually is, and Katie’s father Rob (Tim McGraw) doesn’t make as much money as he expects to from selling his horses. Second, Rob gets a fax from Katie’s headmaster and learns that she turned in a blank final exam and will be failed. With money already tight, the possibility of having to repeat a year of private high school is totally out of the question.

While taking an early morning ride, Katie stumbles upon two great powers in the Wyoming wilderness: a mountain lion and a wild mustang. The mustang chases the lion away from Katie and then disappears. Later, as Rob is driving the horses, the mustang shows up again and almost leads the herd of quarter-horses over a cliff. Rob is forced to rope the horse and fence him in. Katie insists that they keep the black beauty she has named Flicka and train her, but her father refuses because of the money they could make selling it to a rodeo and the danger involved in training such a strong-willed animal. He sells Flicka, but Katie is determined to get her back. How far will she go in order to set free the animal she feels so connected to?

Review by
STEVEN HARRELL

For a movie about horses starring a country western icon, “Flicka” is pretty good. Director Michael Mayer’s (“A Home at the End of the World”) cinematography is excellent, with big sweeping shots that really show off the beauty of the Wyoming location. It’s not often enough that movies feature the breathtaking scenery of the least populated state in the US. Tim McGraw also surprised me. For a musician with a growing acting résumé, his performance as a man just trying to do the best he can for his family comes across as genuine and heartfelt.

In fact, the main problem I had with “Flicka” has nothing to do with the acting or really the overall execution. The issue is in the script’s occasional disregard for reality. Several times the story becomes overly sappy to the point of disengaging the audience completely. This is especially true in the way it tries to beat us over the head with the whole “Katie=Flicka” metaphor. Yes, we get it. Flicka’s wild mustang spirit is a reflection of Katie’s own independence. But calling the two by the same name, pointing it out several times in dialogue, and having Katie write an essay about the “wild spirit of the west” is just overkill.

Alison Lohman (“Matchstick Men”) gave a better than average performance, although it seemed to me she felt uncomfortable actually riding horses. Otherwise, she’s very convincing as the adolescent girl fighting for her independence.

“Flicka” is rated PG for some wild horse and mountain lion related intensity and some mild language.