Disney's new family film, Secretariat, opens this weekend supported by a Christian-targeted marketing push inspired by the success of last year's The Blind Side. The strategy make sense, says Salon movie critic Andrew O'Hehir, who slams Secretariat as a "Tea Party–flavored, Christian-friendly ... fantasia of American whiteness and power," a paean to the "Real America" so beloved of Glenn Beck and his conservative fans. Is O'Hehir's review a fair assessment, or is Secretariat just a refreshingly wholesome movie? (Watch the trailer for Secretariat)
Nice idea, but I don't buy it: The idea of Secretariat as a "fantasy fable for Tea Partiers" who yearn for a mythical, "prelapsarian America" is both marvelous, says Dana Stevens in Slate, and dubious. As far as I'm concerned, this is a "by-the-numbers sports-hero picture" for horse lovers. Those like O'Hehir who feel it ignores the "economic, historical, and racial reality" of the time can always "go rent Seabiscuit."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'"Andor" examines all sides of how empires operate'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eaterySpeed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant moneySpeed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
