Flicka (2006)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good start, but then it gets ruined

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Mary O'Hara's novel "My Friend Flicka" is the basis for this wonderful family oriented movie. Directed by Michael Mayer, a man whose work we had admired before, offers a positive view of a Wyoming family that is struggling to make a living out the ranch where they raise horses and the changes that are happening around them.At the center of the story is Katy McLaughlin, a young woman who is happier being in the family ranch than at the boarding school, where she seems to be out of place. When Katy goes back home after not completing a key exam, she begins to feel like a human being. All the great outdoors are at her finger tips. The horses she loves are also part of her life.A fearless rider, Katy is surprised one day by a mountain lion who comes near her. A mustang that appears out of nowhere comes to her rescue, attracting Katy's attention. A bond will develop between the young woman and the horse that will prove it to be a mutual love and respect they feel about one another. She names the horse Flicka and becomes her champion when her father feels a mustang doesn't belong in the ranch because what it will do to the other pure bred horses. In the end, the father, as well as the family realize how deep Katy cares for Flicka and the way the horse responds to her.Alison Lohman, who is seen as Flicka, is an actress that seems a natural no matter what role she is asked to play. Tim McGraw does justice to the father, and lovely Maria Bello is perfect as the mother.The beautiful cinematography by J. Michael Muro does wonders to create the right atmosphere in which the action is presented. The same can be said for the musical score of Aaron Zigman, which is tuneful and fits well in the picture. There is no doubt Michael Mayer will continue to surprise us in his future projects.Highly recommended for all families.

I have trained un-broken horses and instructed young riders for a few years. Currently I am a Mounted Patrol officer. Please take what I say very seriously. I am very concerned about children endangering themselves based on "lessons" they might learn from this movie. As an officer on horseback I am used to having children literally run up to my horse. A normal horse, without special training would have injured/run away from these children. It bothers me that parents usually stand back and laugh as their children run at our horses. I believe both children and parents are getting the wrong idea about horses and the way they act based on movies like this one that continue the mis-notion. This movie teaches: 1) That if you get on a wild mustang's back, that has never had a rider it will miraculously understand! Oh, you may fall off a time or two, but that's alright!REAL LESSON: It takes weeks, months to even "green" break a horse (walk, trot, canter) Even the process of adding weight to a horse's back and riding equipment is done slowly and gradually. The young girl here goes against the horse's natural nature and defies all safety/acts bratty towards her Father when he tries to correct her.2) It's okay to steal/run away with a horse in the woods/rainstorm!REAL LESSON: I think you understand this one.other things that are just wrong: Galloping a horse in the rain, "talking" to the horse as if its a human instead of using riding cues, not wearing a helmet (Many Western riders do not, but on a green-broke horse this is just asking for trouble).I'm worried that someone's young daughter is going to wander into a neighbor's pasture and approach a horse thinking it will "magically" become her friend. I've seen a little boy injured because he hid into a strange horse's stall believing it was his "friend." This movie does not at all encourage realistic, safe relationships between horses and riders. If you do let your children watch this version of Flicka, try to explain to them that horses are animals and Katy's behavior is wrong. If they want riding lessons after this movie talk to your instructor about how to act around a "real" horse. Encourage them to read books such as "Pony Pals" or "The Saddle Club" which usually encourage safer practices/life lessons. It will be better for your family, I assure you.

"Flicka" (2006) bridges several sub-genres, unfortunately it is one of the weakest examples of each. It's a horse movie (the original is better, as are "National Velvet", The Horse Whisperer" and for that matter most episodes of "The Saddle Club" and "Spin & Marty"). It's a "wild mustangs as a metaphor for the changing West" movie ("The Misfits" and "Billy Jack" do it better). It's an overwrought coming of age melodrama (countless other films do this better as well as most of the stuff you find playing on Lifetime). It's also an Alison Lohman film and in all fairness contains one of her best performances. Lohman is always excellent and in "Flicka" she is given a lot to work with and handles it all quite well. However, the scripting and editing assembly work are so weak that her strong performance (and nice supporting work by Maria Bello and Ryan Kwanten) cannot turn this thing into a high quality film. You might notice that neither the two screenwriters nor the director have been involved in any feature productions since the release of the film. "Flicka" was a major release (over 2900 theaters in the U.S.) and turned a profit at the box office. I credit shrewd packaging by the film's producers as they focused from inception on insuring that the project would be bankable. They incorporated elements that pre-sold the film beyond its target audience of pre-teen girls. Tim McGraw was cast to bring in his large fan base, Kwanten was counted on to draw a fair number of teenage girls into the multi- plex, and there were so few live action family films in 2006 that it was able to tap into an under-supplied market. As for Mary O'Hara's beloved children's book (My Friend Flicka-previously adapted into two feature films and a television show, is credited), it would be more accurate to say "inspired by" rather than "adapted from". The original's ten-year-old hero has been changed to a 16-year-old heroine named Katy McLaughlin (Lohman). I normally rant a bit when an older actress is cast as a teenager but Lohman is the Mary Pickford of her day and with her cute face and freckles still looks physically believable playing a teen. Her new look for the film, long curly hair-dyed dark, makes her look a lot like Kari Russell (insert "very Irish" here). In this remake it's totally Katy's story (in the original the parents had a more central role) and is told from her point-of-view. She even does a short voice-over commentary to begin and close the film. Normally this POV stuff leads to viewer identification and connection, but the scripting and directing works against Lohman and you stay distanced from her character. Katy is mega-headstrong, uncomfortable and bored at her boarding school but at one with the wilds of her family's horse ranch in Wyoming. Her father is grooming Katy's older brother Howard to eventually take over the ranch, clueless about Howard's desire to escape and about Katy's affinity for the place. She is the chip-off-the-old-block, not her brother. The title character is a two-year old black mustang mare that is a source of conflict between Katy and her father for most of the film. While the movie looks pretty the thin plot, the poor sequencing, and absence of "genuine" emotion" doesn't add up to a particularly satisfying viewing experience. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

The Comments I've read regarding Flicka range from love to pure hate, like to dislike, pure joy to pure disgust....but almost EVERYONE raves about the scenery, the cinematography, and the art direction.Well, SURPRISE! 99% of the movie was filmed in the "LA 30 mile" film zone. Three days were spent in Wyoming and you see it sparingly in the bus driving from school to home, the stylized wild horse herd flashes, and the final shot of the movie.For the life of me, I don't know why this wasn't publicized...it adds a completely new depth to the quality of the look of the film when you understand that it was shot 30 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, and NOT in the middle of Big Sky Country.Being the Location Manager on this film, it is a compliment that most people think it was shot in Wyoming....but that would have been EASY! Thoroughly enjoying my experience with this movie, I hope others enjoy it, paying particular attention to the amazing vistas that we found RIGHT HERE in Los Angeles, California.