I must admit that the real reason that I went to see Dreamer was because large parts of the film were filmed in and around Lexington, KY, my hometown. While I am a HUGE horse-racing fan, I cringe a little at sappy, feel-good, cheesy stories involving 11-year-old girls. And so, I almost passed on Dreamer because of the trailers with Dakota Fanning.<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised though. In fact, Dreamer had far, far fewer moments that could be considered sappy or cloying than the much more publicized and well-regarded Seabiscuit.<br /><br />Dakota Fanning is a fantastic actor, and she plays the part of Cale Crane beautifully, only once (when Dreamer is reclaimed by her father as a surprise) striking a false note of over-enthusiastic cheesiness. The rest of the time, Fanning plays the horse-crazy, idealistic, and yet surprisingly level-headed Cale to a tee.<br /><br />Although it is true that the story follows a fairly predictable story arc, it is plainly clear that the writers and director are horse-racing fans. Despite the very economical story-telling (the movie almost felt too short and rushed from one scene to another), the story captured many of the fabulous quirks of horse-racing in Kentucky (not least the reference to the Saudi prince who flies his private 737 to Lexington to see his horse run against his brother's horse--the *real* sheik of Dubai has flown his 737 into Lexington for years, where he parks it on the tarmac at the airport across Versailles road from Keeneland...everyone *knows* when the sheik is in town to see or buy his horses).<br /><br />The cinematography captures the horse country around Lexington and Keeneland superbly--they look far better (and more realistic) here, unfussed with and pure, than they did in their limited exposure in Seabiscuit.<br /><br />The best testimony to the film's success as a crowd pleaser was its reception on a Saturday night, several weeks after the movie's release (mid-November), in a North Carolina theater. The majority of the audience were NOT horse-crazy adolescent girls, but rather adult couples, who spontaneously broke into applause at Sonya's triumph in the Breeder's Cup Classic, and who lingered at the end credits, clearly hoping for even more. (Actually, an infertile 3-year-old mare has got little ahead of her except to continue racing... How about a sequel where Sonador's earnings allow the Crane's to attempt to restore the family farm to its mysterious and mythical former glory?) All in all, a movie that promises a story about a horse overcoming the odds and a family coming together which delivers resoundingly and convincingly on both counts.<br /><br />(There are a handful of minor goofs in the movie in terms of accuracy, but they do not detract from the overall film. More amusing than anything else is the scene in the pasture where Sonador, who is supposed to be a filly, is very, VERY clearly played by a gelding.)