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Flicka

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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

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Reviews for Flicka

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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This is a genuinely nice movie that wears its old-fashioned values proudly, and I had a good time watching it. Flicka is for the teenage girl in all of us.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
10/27/06
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Breathtaking scenery and the sweet story of a girl, her dad and a special horse make Flicka a worthwhile family flick.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/19/06
Annemarie Moody
Annemarie Moody
Arizona Republic

The dull dialogue and predictable action corrals the actors.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
10/18/06
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press

Not to beat, well, a dead horse, but, despite its lovely scenery, likable cast and pro-mustang message, this Flicka seems superfluous and manipulative.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
10/19/06
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ultimately, the entire endeavor seems like an effort to cash in on a predictably bankable tale.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/30/06
Toddy Burton
Toddy Burton
Austin Chronicle

Set against the gorgeous backdrop of a Wyoming mountain range, [Flicka] offers up fantasy footage for every strong-willed girl who ever straddled a saddle.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/20/06
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

[A] lovably corny adaptation of Mary O'Hara's grade-school classic, My Friend Flicka.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
10/20/06
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Alicia Potter
Alicia Potter
Boston Phoenix

Lohman tries her darnedest to put some spirit in this rustic Flicka flick, but she's burned by the buckboard-wooden dialogue and by McGraw, who better keep the reins on his day job.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
10/23/06
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

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.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
10/28/06
Bridget Byrne
Bridget Byrne
Boxoffice Magazine

If it's going to be a paint-by-numbers plot then there should be an emotional core to hang it on.

Full Review Source: Calgary Movies | comment Comment
04/19/07
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Calgary Movies

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
10/20/06
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader

At its best, the movie sounds like a standard Hollywood product in an automatic heartfelt mode.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
10/19/06
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

A movingly told variation on an old story.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
10/19/06
M. K. Terrell
M. K. Terrell
Christian Science Monitor

This would fit right in with the "follow your heart" school of thought that has been common to, say, Disney films of the past 20 years.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
10/20/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

Perhaps the children will enjoy this, but I was just choked by the corniness...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
09/11/07
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Their voice is strong, they're just not singing a new tune.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
10/16/06
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

Flicka is a great family flick, perfect for a dad-and-daughter date, a family film outing, and everyone who's read and loved the book.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
10/19/06
Kim Voynar
Kim Voynar
Cinematical

A girl and a horse: that's love. What more can we want?

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
11/13/06
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

There simply aren't enough scenes illustrating the burgeoning bond between Katy and Flicka.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
10/25/06
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Flicka

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Competition, or a lack of it, will be the deciding factor at the North American box office this weekend for the half-dozen new releases that studios are packing into already... More...

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October 19, 2006: Box Office Guru Preview: Eastwood vs. Scorsese - Round 2
Hollywood sure loves to dwell on yesteryear. Another wave of historical films hits the multiplexes on Friday led by the World War II drama "Flags of our Fathers"... More...

October 19, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Flags" Flies High; "The Prestige" Is Magic; "Flicka" Is A Pretty Good Ride; "Marie Antoinette" Spared Critical Guillotine
This week at the movies, we've got a complex tale of heroism (Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers," starring Ryan Phillippe), a story of dueling magicians... More...

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