the cast: Mark Wahlberg (Vince Papale); Elizabeth Banks (Janet Cantrell); Greg Kinnear (Dick Vermeil)
the plot: A 30-year old Philadelphia Eagles fan who has just lost his teaching job and his wife (after she walks out) decides, at the urging of his friends, to show up for open tryouts - held at the suggestion of new coach Dick Vermeil.
don't miss: In the Giants game, when Mark Wahlberg is running down the sideline in special teams coverage, a Giants player hits him hard and knocks him down. This Giants player was a football player at the nearby University of Delaware, and was not supposed to contact Wahlberg, let alone knock him down. (Take THAT Blue Hen gainsayers!)
watch for: a smart aleck comment by Blaine. He usually has one when I mention Mark Wahlberg. :)
listen for: "Who said I was talking about him?"
did you know: the boy running in the street with the makeshift number 83 jersey is the real Vince Papale's son.
the cast: Jeff Bridges (Charles Howard); Chris Cooper (Tom Smith); Tobey Maguire (Red Pollard); Elizabeth Banks (Marcela Howard); Gary Stevens (George Woolf)
the plot: In the early 1930s, four disparate lives come together to create one of racing history’s greatest legends. Charles Howard, a self-made millionaire, copes with the accidental death of his young son by immersing himself in racing. He hires Tom Smith, a seemingly washed-up race horse trainer unable to adapt to a modern world. While scouting for new horses, Smith spots Seabiscuit, a small, gangly colt who, despite being the grandson of the legendary champion, Man O’ War, has descended to the lowest ranks of the claiming race circuit. Smith sees potential in the horse and convinces a skeptical Howard to buy him, but the defiant and temperamental Seabiscuit refuses to let anyone ride him until Red Pollard, a down-on-his-luck jockey, wanders into the Howard Stable.
check out: Tick Tock McGlaughlin's witticisms, including "No more match races for this little horse because frankly they're all out of matches. Who's he gonna race? Pegasus? I pity these horses."
listen for: "The first time he saw Seabiscuit, the colt was walking through the fog at five in the morning. Smith would say later that the horse looked right through him. As if to say, "What the hell are you looking at? Who do you think you are?" He was a small horse, barely fifteen hands. He was hurting too. There was a limp in his walk, a wheezing when he breathed. Smith didn't pay attention to that. He was looking the horse in the eye."
watch for: a statue of a horse by the paddock in the scenes filmed at the Santa Anita racetrack. The statue is a memorial to Seabiscuit that exists at Santa Anita. Another statue stands approximately 100 yards away - a tribute to George Woolf, Gary Stevens' character in the film.
did you know: the movie sold over 5.5 million copies on DVD, which is the highest ever for a dramatic movie. (I did my part to add to that statistic.)
also listen for: "Well he is fast." "Yeah... in every direction."
extra bonus points: if you know who narrated the movie, and why he is famous.
disclaimer: you can skip the scene in the brothel - only thing you need to know is that Red has lost peripheral vision in one eye.
I'm a collector of 1940s-60s just-about-anything, I have enough old snapshots to wallpaper a small house, and I'm saving my pennies so that one day I can have my very own roller rink.
Some of the images are from screenshots I've made and some have been collected from several years of net trolling. If one of them is yours and you would like to be credited, please let me know and I'll take care of it!
