Lohman tries her darnedest to put some spirit in this rustic Flicka flick, but she's burned by the buckboard-wooden dialogue and by McGraw, who better keep the reins on his day job.
Flicka (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:75
Fresh:40
Rotten:35
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: The rebellious protagonist will rally girls and children, but adults may find Flicka saddled with thin characters, over-the-top dialogue, and a plot that wanders into the countryside and never comes back.
Theatrical Release:Oct 20, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $20,949,649
Synopsis: In FLICKA, a contemporary motion picture adaptation of Mary O'Hara's beloved novel My Friend Flicka, 16-year-old Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) dreams of fulfilling her family legacy by working on... In FLICKA, a contemporary motion picture adaptation of Mary O'Hara's beloved novel My Friend Flicka, 16-year-old Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) dreams of fulfilling her family legacy by working on her father's ranch in modern-day Wyoming. But Katy's father (Tim McGraw) wants more for her, insisting that Katy go to college. Katy finds a wild mustang, which she names Flicka, and sets out to make her a riding horse. But Flicka and Katy are more alike than she could have imagined. Like Katy, Flicka has a disdain for authority and is not about to give up her freedom without a fight. The principal character in the book and in its two motion picture incarnations was an adolescent boy. But this new version tells the story through the eyes of headstrong Katy McLaughlin. Katy is enrolled in a private school on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming, but her heart is with her sprawling family ranch in the state's remote mountain region. Katy returns home to the ranch, and soon becomes enamored of a wild mustang filly she finds in the mountain woods. She names the long-legged, ebony horse Flicka, or "beautiful young girl," in Swedish. But Katy's rancher father, the equally-willful Rob, sees nothing but trouble coming from the untamed animal and discourages his daughter from keeping her. Nonetheless, conflicted by a need to harness her own wild ways yet stay true to a free spirit within, Katy sets out to break through to Flicka and transform her into a riding horse. Despite her father's disapproval, Katy goes on and forms an unbreakable bond with the wild horse. Her relationship with Flicka becomes a catalyst for change for the entire McLaughlin family, which is at a major crossroads: Katy's dad is considering selling the ailing ranch, brother Howard (RYAN KWANTEN) wants to leave Wyoming for college in Boston, and her mother Nell (MARIA BELLO) is fighting to keep her family from falling apart. Can Katy ultimately tame her beloved Flicka and prove everyone wrong about the wild-hearted mustang? Will Rob find a way to support his daughter yet still keep her safe through this momentous life passage? And can the McLaughlins hold onto the ranch that they've worked so hard to maintain throughout a sea of social and economic change? -- © 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: Alison Lohman, Maria Bello, Dallas Roberts, Tim McGraw
Starring: Alison Lohman, Maria Bello, Dallas Roberts, Tim McGraw, Ryan Kwanten, Danny Pino, Jeffrey Nordling, Kaylee DeFer, Dey Young
Director: Michael Mayer
Director: Michael Mayer
Screenwriter: Laurence Konner, Mark Rosenthal
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Release:
Jun 16, 2009
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- NTSC
- Keep Case
- Dual Side
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital Surround - French, Spanish
- Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional
- Disc 1/Side A: FLICKA - Full Frame
- Full Frame - 1.33
- Disc 1/Side B: FLICKA - Widescreen
Additional Release Material:
- Alternate Scenes: Deleted Scenes (3)
- Behind the Scenes: Making of Featurette
- Music Video: Tim McGraw - "My Little Girl"
Outtakes:
- 1. Bloopers
- 2. Gag Reel
Trailers:
- 1. Product Trailers - Music Promo
- 2. Previews
Reviews for Flicka
There's nothing friendly about this joyless and repellently melodramatic family film.
Set against the gorgeous backdrop of a Wyoming mountain range, [Flicka] offers up fantasy footage for every strong-willed girl who ever straddled a saddle.
You can't go wrong with this plot: Girl meets pony, girl loses pony, girl gets pony back. There are problems, but they all live happily ever after, that's boilerplate. But so what?
Director Mayer knows how to tug at the heartstrings, and his admirably restrained cast keeps the family drama from becoming too sugary.
Alison Lohman, the 27-year-old actress who plays Katy, makes the whole thing worth watching.
This Flicka may not be a classic, but it's a nice afternoon's entertainment, particularly for girls who ride wild horses in their dreams.
The apparent lesson of the movie? Keep disobeying your parents and you'll eventually get your way.
Young kids may well find the story charming and identify with the headstrong Katy, while their parents are likely to find the situation quaint and a little dull.
Wholesome, family-friendly, nicely photographed and, unfortunately, dull.
A perfectly pleasant updating of the story, well-acted, nicely directed and beautifully photographed.
The filmmakers behind the sweet-hearted, mostly well-made family film Flicka know their target audience. In fact, they cater to it at the expense of the original book.
A movie which seems designed to do nothing more than feature some pretty pictures of horses and possibly move a few units of a tie-in soundtrack.
Flicka is a classic tearjerker but may be a little too old-fashioned for its own good.
Flicka is a new version of the family classic about a teenager and a wild horse that's as misconceived as it is corny and predictable.
Horse-mad tweens may not notice its flaws, but with a defter touch, even this familiar story might have made for a more exciting ride.
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