View source for Seabiscuit (film)

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Seabiscuit
| image          = Seabiscuit ver2.jpg
| caption        = International theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Gary Ross]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
*[[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]] 
*[[Frank Marshall (filmmaker)|Frank Marshall]]
*Gary Ross
*Jane Sindell
}}
| screenplay     = Gary Ross
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Seabiscuit: An American Legend]]''|[[Laura Hillenbrand]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
*[[Tobey Maguire]]
*[[Jeff Bridges]]
*[[Chris Cooper]]
*[[Elizabeth Banks]]
*[[Gary Stevens (jockey)|Gary Stevens]]
*[[William H. Macy]]
*[[Valerie Mahaffey]]
}}
| music          = [[Randy Newman]]
| cinematography = [[John Schwartzman]]
| editing        = [[William Goldenberg]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
*[[DreamWorks Pictures]]
*[[Spyglass Media Group|Spyglass Entertainment]]
*[[The Kennedy/Marshall Company]]
*Larger Than Life Productions
}}
| distributor    = <!--Do not add DreamWorks, UIP or Buena Vista as per WP:FilmDist-->[[Universal Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|2003|7|25}}
| runtime        = 141 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $87 million<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo" />
| gross          = $148.3 million<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo">{{cite web |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=seabiscuit.htm |title= Seabiscuit (2003) |work= [[Box Office Mojo]] |publisher= [[IMDb]]|access-date= August 21, 2009}}</ref>
}}
'''''Seabiscuit''''' is a 2003 American [[historical]] [[sports film|sports drama film]] co-produced, written and directed by [[Gary Ross]] and based on the best-selling 1999 non-fiction book ''[[Seabiscuit: An American Legend]]'' by [[Laura Hillenbrand]]. The film is loosely based on the life and racing career of [[Seabiscuit]], an undersized and overlooked [[Thoroughbred]] [[Horse racing|race horse]], whose unexpected successes made him a hugely popular media sensation in the [[United States]] during the [[Great Depression]]. At the [[76th Academy Awards]], ''Seabiscuit'' received seven nominations, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], but ultimately lost all seven, including six to ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''.

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, the plot summary should be 400-700 words -->
In the early 20th century, as America enters the [[Effects of the car on societies#History|automobile age]], [[Charles S. Howard]] opens a bicycle shop in San Francisco. He is soon selling automobiles, becoming the largest car dealer in California and one of the Bay Area's richest men. In the wake of the [[Great Depression]], Canadian [[Red Pollard|John "Red" Pollard]]'s family is financially ruined, and he is sent to live with a horse trainer. Years pass and Pollard becomes a jockey, but amateur boxing leaves him blind in one eye.
 
After their young son is killed in an automobile accident, Howard's wife leaves him. He obtains a divorce in Mexico, where Pollard is struggling to make his mark as a jockey. Howard meets and marries Marcela Zabala. When he acquires a stable of racehorses, he hires itinerant horseman [[Tom Smith (horse trainer)|Tom Smith]] as his trainer. Smith convinces him to buy a colt called [[Seabiscuit]]. Though a grandson of the great [[Man o' War]] and trained by the renowned [[James E. Fitzsimmons]], Seabiscuit is viewed as small, lazy, and unmanageable. Smith witnesses Pollard's similarly temperamental spirit, and hires him as Seabiscuit's jockey.

Under Smith's innovative training, Seabiscuit becomes the most successful racehorse on the West Coast and an underdog hero to the public. Howard issues a challenge to [[Samuel D. Riddle]], owner of the East Coast champion and [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown]]-winning racehorse [[War Admiral]], but Riddle dismisses California racing as inferior. In the prestigious [[Santa Anita Handicap]], Seabiscuit takes the lead, but Pollard's impaired vision prevents him from noticing another horse surging up on the outside. Losing by a nose, Pollard admits his partial blindness to Smith.

Howard declares that Pollard will remain Seabiscuit's jockey, and rallies public support for a [[Match racing|match race]] with War Admiral. Riddle agrees, on the condition that they race with a rope and bell instead of a [[starting gate]]. With Seabiscuit at a disadvantage, Smith trains the horse to break fast at the sound of the bell. As the race approaches, Pollard severely fractures his leg in a riding accident. Informed he may never walk again, let alone ride, he recommends that his friend and skilled jockey [[George Woolf]] ride Seabiscuit, advising him on the horse's handling and behavior from his hospital bed.

The highly anticipated "race of the century" draws a sellout crowd, with 40 million more people listening on the radio. Seabiscuit takes an early lead until nearing the far turn; following Pollard's advice, Woolf slows Seabiscuit, allowing War Admiral to match Seabicuit's stride. Seabiscuit looks War Admiral in the eye before surging ahead and winning by four lengths, enthralling the nation. A few months later, Seabiscuit injures his leg. Pollard, still recovering from his own injury, tends to the horse as they both heal. When Seabiscuit is fit enough to race again, Howard brings him back to the Santa Anita Handicap; he is reluctant to allow Pollard to ride and risk crippling himself for life. At the urging of Woolf and Marcela, Howard relents.

Pollard, using a self-made leg brace, discovers Woolf is also in the race on a new mount. Seabiscuit drops far behind the field; Wolfe slows and pulls alongside Pollard, allowing Seabiscuit a good look at Woolf's mount. With Woolf's encouragement, Seabiscuit surges ahead. Heading for the finish line several lengths ahead, Pollard's voiceover explains that Seabiscuit was not merely a broken-down horse that three men fixed, but that Seabiscuit fixed them and, in a way, they fixed one another.

==Cast==
{{cast list|
* [[Tobey Maguire]] as [[Red Pollard|John "Red" Pollard]]
** [[Michael Angarano]] as Young John "Red" Pollard
* [[Jeff Bridges]] as [[Charles S. Howard]]
* [[Chris Cooper]] as [[Tom Smith (horse trainer)|Tom Smith]]
* [[Elizabeth Banks]] as Marcela Zabala-Howard
* [[Gary Stevens (jockey)|Gary Stevens]] as [[George Woolf]]
* [[William H. Macy]] as "Tick Tock" McLaughlin
* [[Eddie Jones (actor)|Eddie Jones]] as [[Samuel D. Riddle|Samuel Riddle]]
* [[Michael O'Neill (actor)|Michael O'Neill]] as Mr. Pollard
* [[David McCullough]] as The Narrator<ref>{{cite news|last=Turan|first=Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth Turan|title=Horse comes out a winner|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-25-et-turan25-story.html|access-date=April 12, 2021|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 25, 2003}}</ref>
}}

==Release==
The film was released on July 25, 2003, by [[Universal Pictures]]. Universal distributed the film in the United States and Canada, [[DreamWorks Pictures]] through [[United International Pictures]] handled distribution in Germany, Scandinavia, and Spain, while [[Spyglass Entertainment]] acted as pre-sales agent in all other territories. Japanese theatrical distribution was handled by UIP separately from the DreamWorks deal, while [[Pony Canyon]] handled home video rights,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawtrey |first=Adam |date=March 30, 2003 |title=UIP to distrib Spyglass duo in Japan |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/uip-to-distrib-spyglass-duo-in-japan-1117883818/ |access-date=November 22, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> with [[Buena Vista International]] purchasing distribution rights in all other territories.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Groves |first=Don |date=July 13, 2003 |title=Warner's takes hot sesh |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/box-office/warner-s-takes-hot-sesh-1117889166/ |access-date=November 22, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 78% based on 208 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A life-affirming, if saccharine, epic treatment of a spirit-lifting figure in sports history".<ref>{{cite web |title=Seabiscuit |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seabiscuit |access-date=May 22, 2024 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/seabiscuit|title=Seabiscuit Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[ViacomCBS Streaming|CBS Interactive]]|access-date= October 15, 2019}}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A" on a scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/|title=SEABISCUIT (2003) A|work=[[CinemaScore]]|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/|archive-date=December 20, 2018}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, and wrote: "The movie's races are thrilling because they must be thrilling; there's no way for the movie to miss on those, but writer-director Gary Ross and his cinematographer, John Schwartzman, get amazingly close to the action."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title= Seabiscuit movie review & film summary (2003)|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/seabiscuit-2003|website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! Group 
! Category 
! Recipient 
! Result
|-
| [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards]]
| Top Box Office Films
| [[Randy Newman]]
| {{Won}}
|-
| rowspan="7" | [[76th Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars2004">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/76th-winners.html |title=The 76th Academy Awards (2004) Nominees and Winners |access-date=November 20, 2011|work=[[Academy Awards|Oscars.org]]|publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]}}</ref>
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]], [[Frank Marshall (filmmaker)|Frank Marshall]] and [[Gary Ross]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)]]
| Gary Ross
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]
| Art Direction: [[Jeannine Oppewall]]; Set Decoration: [[Leslie Pope]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| [[John Schwartzman]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| [[Judianna Makovsky]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[William Goldenberg]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound Mixing]]
| [[Andy Nelson (sound engineer)|Andy Nelson]],<br />[[Anna Behlmer]] and<br />[[Tod A. Maitland]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[American Cinema Editors|54th ACE Eddie Awards]]
| [[American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic|Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic]]
| William Goldenberg
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[2003 American Society of Cinematographers Awards]]
| Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
| John Schwartzman
| {{Won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[9th Critics' Choice Awards|Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2003]]
| [[Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Picture|Best Film]]
|
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
| Gary Ross
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[56th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards 2003]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directing – Feature Film]]
| Gary Ross
| {{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[61st Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
|
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]] 
| [[William H. Macy]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="8" | [[8th Golden Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards 2003]]
| [[Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]
| [[Jeff Bridges]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Art Direction and Production Design|Best Art Direction and Production Design]]
|
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| John Schwartzman
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Judianna Makovsky
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]]
| William Goldenberg
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| [[Randy Newman]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
| Gary Ross
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
|
| {{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[10th Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role|Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role]]
| [[Chris Cooper]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]]
| [[Elizabeth Banks]], Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, [[William H. Macy]], [[Tobey Maguire]], and [[Gary Stevens (jockey)|Gary Stevens]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[56th Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards 2003]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
| Gary Ross
| {{Nom}}
|}

The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
*2006: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]] – #50<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/cheers100.pdf |publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=August 14, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of films about horses]]
*[[List of films about horse racing]]
*''[[The Story of Seabiscuit]]'', 1949 film
*{{Portal-inline|Film}}
*{{Portal-inline|United States}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20080205055632/http://www.seabiscuitmovie.com/}}
*{{IMDb title|0329575|}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes|seabiscuit}}
*{{Metacritic film}}
*{{Mojo title|seabiscuit}}

{{Gary Ross}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:2000s sports drama films]]
[[Category:2003 drama films]]
[[Category:American horse racing films]]
[[Category:American sports drama films]]
[[Category:Buena Vista International films]]
[[Category:DreamWorks Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about animals playing sports]]
[[Category:Films about horses]]
[[Category:Films based on non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gary Ross]]
[[Category:Films produced by Frank Marshall]]
[[Category:Films produced by Kathleen Kennedy]]
[[Category:Films scored by Randy Newman]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1920s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1930s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1940s]]
[[Category:Films set in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Films set in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Films set in Tijuana]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:Films set in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Films set in California]]
[[Category:Films shot in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Gary Ross]]
[[Category:Great Depression films]]
[[Category:Sports drama films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Spyglass Entertainment films]]
[[Category:The Kennedy/Marshall Company films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language sports drama films]]