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Movies / On DVD / The First Saturday in May
The First Saturday in May

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The First Saturday in May (2008)

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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:18

Rotten:8

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: This touching documentary about the horses and trainers behind the Kentucky Derby leads up to the two most exciting minutes in sports.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Sports/Recreation

Theatrical Release:Apr 18, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: 40,000 horses are born each year. Only 20, however, will make it to the gate in the Kentucky Derby. Known as ʺthe most exciting two minutes in sports,” the Kentucky Derby is racingʹs... 40,000 horses are born each year. Only 20, however, will make it to the gate in the Kentucky Derby.

Known as ʺthe most exciting two minutes in sports,” the Kentucky Derby is racingʹs holy grail and every horsemanʹs ultimate goal. Just to get a horse to the gate in the world’s most prestigious race defies all odds.

The path to the first Saturday in May remains long and unpredictable. Euphoria and heartbreak abound. But as a race tracker, you’re prepared for everything.

Follow six diverse trainers – as well as the mighty Barbaro - as they jockey for position along the 2006 Kentucky Derby trail. From Hot Springs in Arkansas to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, youʹre along for the ride with the dedicated men and women that make the “sport of kings” tick. --© Truly Indie
[More]

Director: Hennegan Brothers

Director: Hennegan Brothers
Screenwriter: Hennegan Brothers, Mark Krewatch
Producer: Hennegan Brothers
Composer: Brendan Ryan
Studio: Truly Indie

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Release:

Dec 8, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for The First Saturday in May

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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The film, a behind-the-scenes look at several trainers' efforts to get their horses into fighting shape for the brief contest, lacks the depth or context to make it compelling.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
05/15/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie has more heart than art, but it's unfailingly genuine.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
04/25/08
John Hartl
John Hartl
Seattle Times

The filmmakers emphasize the disparate personalities of the trainers, who can taste victory with every stride of the beautiful animals with whom they work, groom and feed.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
04/25/08
Michele Kenner
Michele Kenner
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The video is dully and cheaply shot, but the Hennegans are lifelong racing fans with family ties to the sport, and their infatuation with the derby is infectious.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/25/08
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It sure inspired me to make plans for Emerald Downs.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
04/24/08
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The First Saturday in May digs in its heels with acute portraits of six trainers, including a paralyzed ex-cyclist in California and an MS-stricken Lexington native who works for the royal family of Dubai.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/24/08
Sean Howe
Sean Howe
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Granted sweep and stature by the triumph of the legendary Derby winner Barbaro and the big shadow cast by his tragic destiny, pic successfully elaborates on the sorts of color pieces that traditionally precede the race on television.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/22/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's got its share of characters, plenty of triumphs, and a Shakespearean tragedy at its core. When it comes to drama, that's a hard combination to beat.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
04/21/08
Lewis Beale
Lewis Beale
Film Journal International

The horses' quest for the Kentucky Derby is supposed to be the big-picture idea, but there isn't a whole lot of horse footage--too much standing around in stalls waiting.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
04/18/08
Michael Esposito
Michael Esposito
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

From the breezy essence of Michael Matz to the frankness of Frank Amonte, each trainer has a story and ambition to get to the top. The goal of the filmmakers is not only to promote their favorite sport but to bring more people into the power of it.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
04/18/08
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

The reason I don't love the Kentucky Derby documentary The First Saturday in May is because it's about a bunch of dull people who keep blocking our view of beautiful, fascinating horses.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
04/18/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The story isn't just about the result, but rather a look at lives and hopes that are part of our American culture.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
04/18/08
Leba Hertz
Leba Hertz
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

For anyone with an interest in racing, First Saturday is a sure bet.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/18/08
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Horse-racing fans will likely just find fun and nobility here; others may find a too easy façade stripped bare and ugly. Fate intervened in this film. Perhaps it was trying to tell us something.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
04/18/08
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

All-consuming passion and the ways in which it works positively and negatively in the lives of six horse trainers is brought to the screen brilliantly in the new documentary The First Saturday in May, an inside look at the run-up to the 2006 Derby.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
04/18/08
Dennis Fisher
Dennis Fisher
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As the filmmakers tell us at the beginning, 40,000 Thoroughbreds are born every year, but only 20 make it to the Kentucky Derby. Thus starts the movie's confusion about whether it is a documentary about the horses or their human competitors.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/18/08
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Never [coalesces] into a greater portrait and tending to cancel each other out. Sometimes a story does need a star.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/18/08
Mark Olsen
Mark Olsen
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Audiences watching the scene in which Matz coaxes his young son into petting the powerful horse will be every bit as touched emotionally as the horse on screen is physically.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/18/08
Chad Greene
Chad Greene
Boxoffice Magazine

...once the Hennegans begin their build to the final race, everything false into place with a quickening intensity towards 'the most exciting two minutes in sports.'

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/18/08
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

While competently made and an overall enjoyable experience for those with a less-than-passing interest in racing, the film will likely be only of interest to the deep-rooted fan.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
04/17/08
Edward Havens
Edward Havens
FilmJerk.com
 
 
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