Riders

TV Movie
1993
3h 19m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Arrogant aristocrat Rupert Campbell-Black has a high social position, woman at his feet, money and fame in the world of show jumping. But Rupert has a rival - the brooding gypsy Jake Lovell,... Read allArrogant aristocrat Rupert Campbell-Black has a high social position, woman at his feet, money and fame in the world of show jumping. But Rupert has a rival - the brooding gypsy Jake Lovell, whose loathing for the Pin Up of Penscombe has driven him to the top of the riding world ... Read allArrogant aristocrat Rupert Campbell-Black has a high social position, woman at his feet, money and fame in the world of show jumping. But Rupert has a rival - the brooding gypsy Jake Lovell, whose loathing for the Pin Up of Penscombe has driven him to the top of the riding world to match Rupert's skills. A bitter feud festers between the two stars, who have fought and... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.4/10

225

YOUR RATING

8User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos8

User reviews8

5.4225

Featured reviews

10artisan-4

Very entertaining, nice horses and good lead actors

It's always difficult to capture a book as complex as this on-screen as Jilly Cooper's speciality is showing us a set of larger than life characters with genuine human flaws, however within the limitations of film I think they did very well. Yes, OK, they did take a few shortcuts through the plot, but (mostly) that didn't make too much difference to the characterisation and relationships. The lead actors were good and, in particular, Michael Praed as Jake Lovell was extremely engaging and well-realized.

A film which dwells _so much_ on showjumping would fail completely if the riding scenes were not well done, and I'm pleased to say that they were entirely believable and the lead actors genuinely looked as though they knew how to sit on a horse. Congratulations to the stunt team and to the actors.

2lct4623

Terrible adaptation

After enjoying the disneyplus adaptation of Rivals, I decided to read the fantastic Riders and see how this adaptation handled the first book in the series.

It's dreadful. Everything that made the book great is entirely absent in this tv movie. The performances across the board are extremely poor, which makes me wonder what the direction entailed and if this production was rushed.

Character assassinations are completed on Jake, Billy, and even RCB. RCB is simply not evil enough, and the script has heavily sanitized the source material. Particularly in the latter half, the plot is entirely changed, with some romances not happening, or partners being switched around.

This thing is 3 hours and 19 minutes long. Getting through it is a feat of endurance, I wouldn't recommend. I hope that one day, Riders gets the adaptation it deserves.

3Njs2016

Hilarious

This is so badly made. From the opening shots of the naughty lead putting his jodhpurs on in the opening title and then the frankly inept exposition of the 'spying' episode you know you are in for a shockingly bad ride technically.

That said, it's so funny it's worth watching. Stocked up with characters like 'Humpty Hamilton' and ridiculous exposition it's a treat. They don't really make them like this anymore, with dodgy voice over at the start of each scene, cross fades and some of the worst acting you'll see. It's laugh out loud funny for every minute.

The score is hilarious as well. Every time anyone gets the least bit sexy the sax goes full 80's. :) Good for a rainy Sunday.

4saskia-knol

It's so boring..

Well, at least it's boring compared to the book. Having read the book it is very hard to watch it in an objective way. The characters aren't very likable and I do like them in the book. The book reads like a very enjoyable Netflix series and the movie just drags on and on... Rupert, except for being blond, doesn't resemble the flamboyante character he is. It's only the spoilt brat he is, but of course that's only one side of him. The only character I liked, was Tory. She felt so real and does resemble the character in the book. The book makes you laugh out loud. Why isn't this adaption able to make me laugh at any point? I hope Disney will try to give Rivals a prequel, because with Rivals they managed to give us the enjoyable encouter the books certainly give. Ode to writer dame Jilly Cooper!!!!

8caroline-macafee

Very watchable romp

I haven't read the book, but this mini-series stands as a well-made piece of entertainment. The handsome and dashing, but dastardly, Rupert is contrasted with the home-loving, all-round decent, underdog, Jake. The characters are drawn with a broad brush, but there are many colourful characters, and it's tightly plotted, with unexpected twists. The horses and the men are very good-looking, and Michael Praed and Anthony Calf do a great job as the more complex characters in the story. Great fun altogether.

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Sienna Guillory's debut.

Alternate versions
Video version released in Sweden edited down to 110 minutes.

Connections
Referenced in What's Up Doc?: Episode #3.30 (1995)

Soundtracks
I Could Have Danced All Night
(uncredited)
Music by Frederick Loewe
[calliope music heard in background during Fontainebleau, France scene]