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Movies / On DVD / The Horse Whisperer
The Horse Whisperer

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The Horse Whisperer (1998)

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Reviews Counted:51

Fresh:36

Rotten:15

Average Rating:6.9/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 48 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: A terrible horseback riding accident has left 14-year-old Grace MacLean (Scarlett Johansson) emotionally and physically scarred for life, and has left her prized horse, Pilgrim, permanently... A terrible horseback riding accident has left 14-year-old Grace MacLean (Scarlett Johansson) emotionally and physically scarred for life, and has left her prized horse, Pilgrim, permanently spooked. Grace's mother, Annie (Kristin Scott Thomas)--a high-powered New York magazine editor--is unwilling to believe that Pilgrim is beyond help and is desperate to help her daughter recover from the trauma. Annie drives across the country to Montana, with daughter and horse in tow, in search of Tom Booker (Robert Redford) a horse whisperer with a special gift for communicating with troubled horses. With Tom's help, both Grace and Pilgrim begin to deal with the aftermath of the accident. Annie, meanwhile, begins to reevaluate the choices she has made in life as she becomes enamored with both Booker and life on a Montana ranch. Sam Neill plays Robert MacLean, the husband and father left behind in New York when mother and daughter make their trek. Directed by Redford (ORDINARY PEOPLE, QUIZ SHOW) and based on Nicholas Evans's popular novel of the same name, the film features sweeping Montana vistas, earnest performances, and impressive horseback riding and training sequences. [More]

Starring: Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Scarlett Johansson

Starring: Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Scarlett Johansson, Dianne Wiest, Chris Cooper

Director: Robert Redford

Director: Robert Redford
Screenwriter: Richard LaGravenese, Eric Roth
Producer: Robert Redford, Patrick Markey
Composer: Thomas Newman, John Barry

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Horse Whisperer

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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It's a film-maker's love letter to himself.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Curl your cynical lip if you want, but there's a place for heartwarming, life-affirming, even weepy dramas.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment 1 Comment
11/08/07
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Directing himself for the first time, Redford has lavished his usual meticulous care on popular material that comes alive on the screen in ways that it never could on the page.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/08/07
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This has loads of craft and honor but never quite takes off.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/08/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

We are not talking postmodern or even modern here, but the best kind of old-fashioned.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

I found it to be a compelling, adult film that transports you into another world.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A lovely piece of filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

This is a beautiful movie, but not for those in a hurry.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
03/16/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Robert Redford has done it again.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

For such a long meal it certainly isn't very filling.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

Despite its flaws, The Horse Whisperer is a marvel -- in its artistry, its love of place, and its tender regard for broken hearts.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

No review available.

comment Comment
08/25/02
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

No review available.

comment Comment
07/30/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The Horse Whisperer is a calculated heart-tugging machine, as soulless and efficient in its own way as Twister or Independence Day; instead of a 'thrill-ride,' it's a trip through the tunnel of love.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Cathy Thompson-Georges
Cathy Thompson-Georges
Boxoffice Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tutors us in the art of slowing down, being present, and quieting the heart.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/02/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Redford is obviously a romantic at heart, and he brings a light touch to the erotic moments in the film.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

That lack of identifiable passion is The Horse Whisperer's most vexing problem.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Though a bit overlong at nearly three hours and with a curiously unsatisfying ending, The Horse Whisperer nonetheless taps into the spirit of the characters and their noble mounts.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...beautiful-looking and emotionally absorbing...

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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