Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story Reviews
November 18, 2011
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
December 30, 2006
All the characters are familiar, the story is familiar, but it is well-constructed and the actors do a good job with the material.
Full Review
| Original Score: B
September 22, 2006
Dreamer is loaded with enough clichs and formulas to choke a horse. But truly, it works.
Original Score: 2.5/4
May 12, 2006
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5
April 1, 2006
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
March 31, 2006
It is a movie that will captivate children, yes, but it will also capture the hearts of the grown-ups, too.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
March 27, 2006
simply feels more professional than most family fare
Original Score: 3/5
March 4, 2006
Screenwriting manuals have taught us that every film is (or should be) a Hero's Journey, but writer-director John Gatins takes that gospel so literally it's hard to know whether to admire his purity or marvel at his lack of imagination.
December 11, 2005
The charismatic Fanning proves she is the best child actress in decades.
Original Score: A-
December 9, 2005
A quiet and poignant story.
Original Score: B
November 21, 2005
Sure, it's as goopy as Kris Kristofferson is grizzled, but families might find a genuinely warm experience in the simple story of a child following her heart %u2014 especially in the rare moments when we're not told how to feel.
Original Score: 2.5/4
November 15, 2005
This is a slow track of wish-fullfillment fantasy and all who come through the turnstiles will wear a happy face.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
November 9, 2005
Painfully earnest and aggressively sappy, it requires an outrageous suspension of disbelief, and becomes even more far-fetched as it goes along.
November 2, 2005
Ah. Here's the family film we've been dreaming of all year long.
Original Score: 3.5/4
October 29, 2005
In short, Dreamer may be shot through with cliches but they're good ones and, more importantly, they work. This is feel-good family entertainment of the first order and if you loved Seabiscuit, you'll love this too.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
October 29, 2005
Full Review
| Original Score: 2.5/4
October 29, 2005
It manages to be a watchable, even enjoyable movie about and for girls, and in our world of candy-coated sparkly pink crap, that's a rare and commendable thing.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
October 26, 2005
"Seabiscuit" it ain't, but "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" is one of those harmless horse movies that will entertain the kids.
October 26, 2005
Dakota Fanning, the busiest child actor on the planet it seems, brings her usual maturity to this fine family film. The horse is pretty good too.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
October 25, 2005
A nice film for a father to take his daughter to. Others may find it so by-the-numbers that even high-powered actors (+ a horse) have a hard time breathing life into it.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/4