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Tuesday, December 1, 2020

50:1 (2018)

This movie is a horse-racing drama inspired by the true story of long-shot Mine That Bird, the horse that had an upset victory in the 2009 Kentucky Derby.  Watching it is a lot like watching the original race — as long as you factor in about 100 minutes of pre-race  programming before you get to the main event.. As in real life, the exciting part lasts only a minute or two, and then it’s over. The rest of the movie is background to get you to that point.
I liked this movie, probably because the genre, sports movies about underdogs who go on to upset victory, but I did not particularly care for the people who inhabit the movie.  The owner and the trainer meet in a bar fight, and the depth of their relationship starts and basically stops there, in terms of the emotional depth of the movie.  However, in telling a mostly true story, you are stuck with the details, and in this one New Mexico cowboys bring a horse they don't quite understand to a big race, get treated like yahoos and snub their noses at tradition and snobbery in thoroughbred racing.

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