Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

angelapete A disillusioned old horse trainer befriends a teenage boy struggling to form his own identity. The old man has trouble with alcohol; the boy with bullies. His father is pushing his love--baseball--on the boy, who does not have interest.I was struck by the beauty of the authentic filming location and the realistic ambiance that pervades the scenes, particularly through the sounds of nature. Heartwarming musical scores complete the effect of a "feel good" movie experience, which is the type I prefer. The closing credits roll as Billy Preston sings "Winner," wrapping up another good-triumphs-over-evil movie.

Dragoneyed363 I had avoided The Derby Stallion ever since it came out, because I was so much more concerned with other movies (of course), and I really never took the time to even care about seeing it. One day it was about time to leave the movie rental place, so I just grabbed it thoughtlessly because I didn't see anything else that was worth the renting at the time, and ran on to check out. I'm glad I finally got around to it, because this movie was a nice little film and I really enjoyed it. Of course there were things wrong with it, but the movie entertained me so much and the characters and plot were considerably likable. Although I'm not much of a horse movie lover, this movie sparked an immediate interest in me when it came on. Maybe it was because Zac Efron's in it, or maybe it just has that click from the start, either way, I was intrigued, haha. I thought it was around overly decent, and of course I knew when I finished it I wouldn't be saying, "Oh my god, this movie was perfect, it's the best movie I've ever seen!" but I tell you one thing I did not say, and that's "This movie was horrible, it's the worst movie ever". The Derby Stallion is really just a fun film that is worth the watch if you have the time, and aside from minor problems, like the way they filmed it and some people not being able to act out parts very well, this was an unexpected surprise. Sure, it's not great, and even though it shouldn't be at the top of your list, if you are interested, see it, for it was enjoyable.

anabata I will begin by saying that the only reason I watched this movie is because I like Zac Efron and was curious to see his other work. Considering the film hasn't received much attention outside of the Zac Efron fanbase, I had my reservations about how the film might turn out. Unfortunately, I wasn't mistaken.'The Derby Stallion' has a very straightforward, some might even say cliché, storyline: a boy befriends an older-mentor archytype (think an old, black Yoda) and needs to learn how to ride steeplechase in order to compete against his rival and win the big derby at the climax of the film.The film starts out with 15 year old Patrick in conflict with his dad who wants him to become a star baseball player. Instead, Patrick spends his time hanging out with the local town drunk, Bill Cobbs' Houston Jones, who regales him with tales of being a steeple chase rider. Naturally his parents disaprove of their friendship but this changes when Patrick takes an interest in riding and wants to compete in the big derby. Everything is going great until Houston passes away and Patrick, consumed by grief and lacking in confidence, decides to quit riding. At the last minute, he changes his mind and everything is set right. The film ends with a shot of Patrick leaving his trophy at Houston's grave, his family at his side.The film is typically corny, rife with a very predictable storyline and the usual conflicts/resolutions that one might find in most family films. However, the ending of the film is so hasty and anti-climactic that I couldn't but help feel like it was done in a very half-assed way. Also, as many others have pointed out, the fact that the Patrick character becomes so skilled in such a short period of time defies logic and the so-called 'relationship' between horse and jockey is seems shaky at best.The one bright spot is Bill Cobbs who does a fairly decent job portraying the relationship of Houston's 'Yoda' to Patrick's 'Luke' (yes, there's even a line in the film that is essentially paraphrases "Do, or do not. There is no try."). Other than that the film is forgettable. I'm sure there will be enough interest generated by Zac Efron's celebrity to get the film seen, but any serious rider, as others have previously posted, will find the premise and execution weak.Edited for typo.

wildponyfree I am usually tolerant of horse movies. I don't expect the actors to be the best riders or horse handlers. I expect mistakes to be made and things to be wrong. I try to sit back and just enjoy the story. This is what I expected to do recently when I picked up a new horse movie called The Derby Stallion. Well it was simply awful. The lead could not ride at all. I feel they could have found an actor with riding skills. Even worse was when they switched to the legs of a dark bay horse jumping when the lead horse was a bright chestnut. They should have taken the time to do the research and find the right people.Overall I was not impressed with the way this movie was shot and put together. Some of the close-ups seemed too close and out of focus and actually made me dizzy. I feel a lot more could have been done to make this movie better starting with an actor who had real life horse experience.