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Flicka (2006)
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Reviews Counted:75
Fresh:40
Rotten:35
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: The rebellious protagonist will rally girls and children, but adults may find Flicka saddled with thin characters, over-the-top dialogue, and a plot that wanders into the countryside and never comes back.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In FLICKA, a contemporary motion picture adaptation of Mary O'Hara's beloved novel My Friend Flicka, 16-year-old Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) dreams of fulfilling her family legacy by working on... In FLICKA, a contemporary motion picture adaptation of Mary O'Hara's beloved novel My Friend Flicka, 16-year-old Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) dreams of fulfilling her family legacy by working on her father's ranch in modern-day Wyoming. But Katy's father (Tim McGraw) wants more for her, insisting that Katy go to college. Katy finds a wild mustang, which she names Flicka, and sets out to make her a riding horse. But Flicka and Katy are more alike than she could have imagined. Like Katy, Flicka has a disdain for authority and is not about to give up her freedom without a fight. The principal character in the book and in its two motion picture incarnations was an adolescent boy. But this new version tells the story through the eyes of headstrong Katy McLaughlin. Katy is enrolled in a private school on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming, but her heart is with her sprawling family ranch in the state's remote mountain region. Katy returns home to the ranch, and soon becomes enamored of a wild mustang filly she finds in the mountain woods. She names the long-legged, ebony horse Flicka, or "beautiful young girl," in Swedish. But Katy's rancher father, the equally-willful Rob, sees nothing but trouble coming from the untamed animal and discourages his daughter from keeping her. Nonetheless, conflicted by a need to harness her own wild ways yet stay true to a free spirit within, Katy sets out to break through to Flicka and transform her into a riding horse. Despite her father's disapproval, Katy goes on and forms an unbreakable bond with the wild horse. Her relationship with Flicka becomes a catalyst for change for the entire McLaughlin family, which is at a major crossroads: Katy's dad is considering selling the ailing ranch, brother Howard (RYAN KWANTEN) wants to leave Wyoming for college in Boston, and her mother Nell (MARIA BELLO) is fighting to keep her family from falling apart. Can Katy ultimately tame her beloved Flicka and prove everyone wrong about the wild-hearted mustang? Will Rob find a way to support his daughter yet still keep her safe through this momentous life passage? And can the McLaughlins hold onto the ranch that they've worked so hard to maintain throughout a sea of social and economic change? -- © 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: Alison Lohman, Maria Bello, Dallas Roberts, Tim McGraw
Starring: Alison Lohman, Maria Bello, Dallas Roberts, Tim McGraw, Ryan Kwanten, Danny Pino, Jeffrey Nordling, Kaylee DeFer, Dey Young
Director: Michael Mayer
Director: Michael Mayer
Screenwriter: Laurence Konner, Mark Rosenthal
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Flicka
Alison Lohman is appropriately tousled as the rebellious teen, who identifies with the horse she's struggling to tame, but her performance is alternately shrill and pouty.
Director Mayer knows how to tug at the heartstrings, and his admirably restrained cast keeps the family drama from becoming too sugary.
Breathtaking scenery and the sweet story of a girl, her dad and a special horse make Flicka a worthwhile family flick.
There's nothing friendly about this joyless and repellently melodramatic family film.
Maria Bello's skill and onscreen presence speak volumes about the mother's thoughts and feelings, even when the script leaves her high and dry.
It must have annoyed the people making Flicka when Dreamer came out last year. They're similar films, and Dreamer is better.
Sentimental but not cloying, Flicka is family-friendly entertainment that hits almost all the right notes, even though it is playing the same old song.
The latest version of this beloved kid-loves-horse story has everything a film requires to attract an equine-crazy audience of all ages.
It's about wild horses representing a special sort of speed, force, and freedom, beyond Wild West shows and shootouts and men with no names.
Alison Lohman, the 27-year-old actress who plays Katy, makes the whole thing worth watching.
As things progress, the magic of the story asserts itself over the audience.
Not to beat, well, a dead horse, but, despite its lovely scenery, likable cast and pro-mustang message, this Flicka seems superfluous and manipulative.
Latest News for Flicka
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October 19, 2006:
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