50 to 1

50 to 1 is a 2014 American drama film based on the true story of Mine That Bird, an undersized thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race. The film received a limited release on March 21, 2014. It was directed by Jim Wilson, who also co-wrote the script with Faith Conroy, and stars Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane and William Devane.[1] Jockey Calvin Borel, who rode Mine that Bird to his upset Derby win, plays himself in the film.[2]

50 to 1
Directed byJim Wilson
Produced byJim Wilson
Written byFaith Conroy
Jim Wilson
StarringSkeet Ulrich
Christian Kane
William Devane
Calvin Borel
Music byWilliam Ross
Release date
  • March 21, 2014 (2014-03-21)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million
Box office$1,064,454

Plot

A misfit group of New Mexico cowboys find themselves on the journey of a lifetime when their undersized thoroughbred racehorse qualifies for the Kentucky Derby. Based on the inspiring true story of Mine That Bird, the cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world's racing elite. Mine That Bird pulls off a monumental upset (at 50-to-1 odds) by winning the 2009 Kentucky Derby.

Cast

Reception

Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times thought the film was slow-moving and the characters lacked interest, and the film "an idea better in theory than in practice".[3] Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post said that as with real-life horse racing, "the exciting part lasts only a minute or two, and then it’s over. The rest of the movie is filler (or maybe foreplay)."[4] Bill Edelstein of Variety commented that the film's attempt to appeal to a faith-based audience seemed "a rather calculated play near the finish". On the other hand, he thought Calvin Borel turned out to be "adept at slapstick" and found Borel's character to be "more compelling than the leads".[1] Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer gave the film a positive review, finding the film's "old-fashioned" qualities appealing.[5]

References
  1. Bill Edelstein, "Film Review: ‘50 to 1’: This fact-based buddy movie about 2009 Kentucky Derby longshot keeps the cliches coming." Variety, May 13, 2014.
  2. "Borel impresses Hollywood co-stars in '50 to 1'", Daily Racing Form, March 14, 2014.
  3. Gary Goldstein, "'50 to 1' can't overcome its long odds", Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2014.
  4. Michael O'Sullivan, "‘50 to 1’ movie review", The Washington Post, May 22, 2014.
  5. Lawrence Toppman, "Horsey tale ‘50 to 1’ takes us back to a gentler movie time" Archived 2014-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, The Charlotte Observer, June 26, 2014.
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