DAKOTA > FILMS > DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY

» Movie Details
Release Date: October 21st, 2005
Director: John Gatins
Writer: John Gatins
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Kurt Russell, Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue, David Morse & Freddy Rodríguez
Tag Line: Not Available
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG for brief mild language
Studio: Dreamworks
Box Office: $32,857,000 (US total)
DVD Release: March 21st, 2006
Official Website: Dreamer
Trailer: Check here
Quotes: Check here

» Synopsis
Kurt Russell ("Miracle," "Sky High"), Dakota Fanning ("War of the Worlds," "Man on Fire") and Kris Kristofferson ("Lone Star") star in a drama about a father who, for the love of his daughter, sacrifices almost everything to save the life of an injured racehorse and bring the promising filly back to her former glory.

Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) was once a great horseman, whose gifts as a trainer were now being wasted on making other men's fortunes. Soñador—called Sonya—was a great horse whose promising future on the racetrack was suddenly cut short by a career-ending broken leg. Considered as good as dead to her owner, who also happens to be Ben's boss, Sonya is given to Ben as severance pay, along with his walking papers. Now, it will take the unwavering faith and determination of Ben's young daughter, Cale (Dakota Fanning), to bring these two damaged souls together in a quest for a seemingly impossible goal: to win the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Kristofferson stars as Ben Crane's father whose strained relationship with his son is bridged by their mutual hopes for Sonya. The main cast also includes Oscar® nominee Elisabeth Shue ("Leaving Las Vegas"), David Morse ("The Green Mile"), Freddy Rodriguez (HBO's "Six Feet Under"), Luis Guzmán ("Traffic") and Oded Fehr ("The Mummy").

"Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story" was written by John Gatins, who is also making his directorial debut on the movie. Mike Tollin ("Radio") and Brian Robbins ("Varsity Blues") are the producers, with Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Bill Johnson, Stacy Cohen and Caitlin Scanlon executive producing. The film will be distributed domestically by DreamWorks Pictures, with Hyde Park Entertainment handling the international release.

more photos?

» Dakota on the Movie
" My character dreams of being around horses with her father, to see her horse, Sonya, race to victory and, most of all, to help her family."

" I think we're the same and very different in ways. I don't live on a farm, and that's something that I really wanted to do. I got to portray farm life with the horses and learn what she knew about horses. My character is really determined that she is going to learn about horses and ride horses. She is determined to do what she feels strongly about. I think I'm like her in some ways, but most of all, I always try to make the best of a situation even when everything is looking really bad. Even when it's looking bad for her family, she's always like, "It's going to be fine"." [About how she relates to Cale]

" It's such a happy film. It's sweet, happy, heartwarming, and sad at the same time. You feel such different emotions throughout the whole film. "

" I'd never been around horses at all, so getting comfortable with them was fun, challenging, and exciting at the same time. I trained for eight weeks and then two weeks in Kentucky. I would ride them and walk them and take care of them and do everything you can think of. " [ About what was challenging about making the movie]

» Dakota's Reviews
"What is central is young Dakota Fanning 's performance, as a mite of a girl who stands up to be counted. Fanning it is said, appears in every third movie nowadays; she's busy, all right, but that's because she's good, and here she plays Cale as a girl who has watched horses and trainers and grown up around the track and tempers her sentiment for Sonador with an instinct that the horse has more race left in her. "
- by by Roger Ebert / October 21, 2005 / Chicago Sun-Times {+More}

" The movie achieves moments of genuine affection between daughter and father, thanks to the two actors. Fanning manages the feat of possessing real acting chops and the ability to turn on the charm without cloying mannerisms. Russell and Kristofferson play against this as crusty, often-frustrated men bemused by the youngster."
- by Kirk Honeycutt / September 12, 2005 / Hollywood Reporter {+More}

» Links
. IMDB Dreamer Page
. Dreamworks Fansite

Back | Home