50 Para 1

My husband and I went looking for a fun movie last weekend and ran across 50-1. Being a horse lover and a delighted witness to Mine that Bird's Kentucky Derby performance, we drove the hour and a half to see it in nearby Santa Fe. What a fun movie! We thoroughly enjoyed it, as apparently did everyone else in the theater. We were all laughing, crying and several times nearly the entire audience stood to clap for joy. Awesome movie depicting the underdog story of down-to-earth folk from Southern New Mexico - including a down-on-his-luck, broke (in more than one sense) cowboy horse trainer, a good hearted, wealthy NM owner, and a team of friends-- risked everything on a little horse with a big heart. Knowing this was based on the true story of how Mine that Bird and his unlikely winning NM team shocked horse racing royalty and the world, helped firmly planted it in my heart as one of my favorite movies of the last many years. It may not win Oscars, but the story, the beautiful NM landscape, the good acting of its cast including the real life jockey, Calvin Borel (who did a great job acting and has the most amazing smile I've ever seen), HORSES, and - most of all - the true life story of shocking success in spite of 50-1 odds, puts this movie on the top of my list. A must see!

We enjoyed the original story as it played out on the race track, and this movie does not disappoint. It was truly a feel good root for the underdog type of film that anyone can enjoy. Bravo, and thank you for a wonderful evening's entertainment.

It's hard to not like a "true-story-ish" movie about an underdog going up against despicable snobs... so on that level, the movie is worth a watch, especially if you're running out of movies to watch.

Feel-good underdog movie with hokey screenplay and acting.

I certainly have seen far worse, but there were a few times during the movie that I was tempted to shut it off because it was over-the- top cornball. It's filled with scenes and side-stories that add no value whatsoever to the movie and feel like the filmmakers wanted to check-off every popular cliché in movie making.

Fight scene... check. Love & hate romantic tension scene... check. Funny animal action scene... check. Life and death drama scene... check. Down-and-out nobody believes in me scene... check

The movie jumps back and forth trying to be funny at times, and serious at others without having a connection between the emotions - - at least in believable way. I kinda of felt at times like I was watching a Smokey and the Bandit movie... then all of the sudden, it tries to go serious.

With all that said... I watched the entire movie, had a few chuckles and wiped a tear from my eye at the end.

I love this movie. It's like "Secretariat" with cowboys! Perhaps my opinion is biased since I live in Roswell where Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird resides in luxury. The actors/director/crew really caught the feel of rural New Mexico. The script is an intelligent homage to the underdog. Skeet Ulrich is uncanny as the trainer--every movement and stance was perfectly natural as a cowboy. William Devane is the closest to owner Doc Blach anyone could be! And Christian Kane's quirky humor and physicality help embody the oil-rich, bad boy owner, who champions two underdogs--a down-and-out trainer and an unknown horse. But it's the supporting cast that fleshes out the film and makes it a winner. I rate this film excellent in that it's fun to watch; it makes the audience cheer; and it never condescends to the average people behind the scenes of any champion. Kids will love this movie, but parents will appreciate its messages. Ten feel-good hugs.

It's very rare that I come away from a movie with any sort of emotional impact; especially one that is uplifting. Typically, there has to be some sort of cruelty or injustice for me to genuinely become attached to a film beyond any sort of typical entertainment value. However, "50 to 1" is one of those instances in which I was completely taken in by the characters' quest. It's a genuinely fun movie packed with so much heart that the entire audience gets in on the action. How often have you gone to a movie and actually heard the crowd cheer multiple times? I had attended the world premiere in Albuquerque in which that sort of thing is expected. So, I decided to attended a general public screening to see what the difference would be. I was surprised to witness even larger reactions from the public screening than the private one. Although the film may have some shortcomings due to budgetary issues, there is no denying that the overall film is much more powerful than most films you'll see this year. As for entertainment value, I'd put this $10 million film over most mundane $200 million films any day. When you see grown men walk away with tears in their eyes, you know they've seen something special. This movie is a definite must-see in theaters simply for the race footage alone. The action is so quick and detailed, that you'll definitely benefit from seeing this film on the big screen! In fact, I caught several things that made the film even more enjoyable on the second viewing than on the first. Saddle up and enjoy the show!