Lady K and I just got back from the 0855 showing of Secretariat. This has got to be the best movie I've seen this year. I tend to shy away from movies based on fact, since I know the ending...and those movies are always overblown in production and publicity. I made an exception for Secretariat for Lady K and what I saw in the advertisements. I also like Diane Lane and John Malkovich and James Cromwell, three of the stars. The movie is more than a story of a horse who won the Triple Crown, it's the story of the people who believed in him. The people who made this movie did the best filming angles, story writing, acting. I kept laughing at the funniest bits and raising my fists in victory and cheering when Secretariat won each race. Lady K and I danced in our seats at the tunes played, "Oh Happy Day" performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers and "I'll Take You There" performed by The Staple Singers. The radio is playing in each scene the songs are played as Penny (Diane Lane), Lucien (John Malkovich) and Eddie (Nelsan Ellis) as they are washing down Secretariat. The scenes of laughter, smiles and dancing made me grin and feel so much better.
And it did take me a bit to recognize one of the actors, Nelsan Ellis, playing Eddie, Secretariat's groom and friend. Nelsan is known to me as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood. I knew I'd seen those gorgeous eyes and lovely voice somewhere. And it hit me soon enough.
Go see this movie. It will lift you up and make you cheer.
Big bowl of feel good lift you up diamonds....
