Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Flicka

MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA) for some mild language.

Reviewed by: Melisa Pollock
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Good
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Family
Genre: Drama Adaptation
Length: 1 hr. 34 min.
Year of Release: 2006
USA Release: October 20, 2006 (wide—2,800 theaters)
Featuring Alison Lohman, Tim McGraw, Ryan Kwanten, Maria Bello, Danny Pino
Director Michael Mayer
Producer Gil Netter, Kevin Halloran
Distributor
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Trademark logo.
20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company

The movie “Flicka” is an adaptation of the well-loved book My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara.

Katie McLaughlin (Alison Lohman), daughter of rancher Rob McLaughlin (Tim McGraw) appears to be somewhat rebellious, a very headstrong teenager. Rob and Nell McLaughlin want the best for their daughter. With hopes and dreams of college for Katie, they have always sent Katie to an exclusive private school where she’ll get the best possible education. Katie on the other hand is a dreamer, and her dreams are of life on the ranch, of the horses. She sits in class daydreaming, and her studies and grades reflect her lack of effort. While home for the summer, she rises very early each morning before the family awakes and sneaks out of the house to go riding alone.

On one such ride, she encounters a wild mustang. At the very first glance between girl and horse, Katie feels a kindred spirit. Katie sees within Flicka, almost a reflection of herself: wild, headstrong, rebellious on the surface; but deep within, so much more. So begins the tale of “Flicka”.

Those who have read the book My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara will want to keep in mind that this movie is an “adaptation” of the book, meaning, that while the basic story plot is the same, there are many differences in the movie and the book. The overall plot is the same, and you will easily recognize many scenes, but there are some key differences also.

The movie was good. There was very little to be concerned about morally. As for violence or language in the film, both were very minimal, almost nonexistent. The primary concern for parents will be the insolence, rebellion, and disrespect/disregard of authority by some of the characters in the film.

Overall, the film was very good. In my opinion, they did a good job of staying within the bounds of what a family film should be. I enjoyed the film and recommend it for all ages.

The scenery in this movie is absolutely gorgeous, a beautiful display of God’s handiwork. The New Living Translation, Romans 1:20 says, “From the time the world was created, people have seen the Earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.” If you do not know the Lord, I urge you to make the decision and take the step to come to know Him as Your personal Lord and Savior. There is no time like the present, and it is the best decision you will ever make.

May the Lord bless you all. Thank you for reading.

Violence: Minor / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: None


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—Took my daughter to see this father-daughter conflict movie based around a beautiful horse ranch in Wyoming. The scenery and acting was good and the story suspenseful and exciting. Yes, the daughter is defiant and disobedient, but as the story unfolds you see some of the reasons why and the background to her agonies at home. It’s well worth going to see on the big screen which heightens the beauty of wild horses and the world in which they live. There is the inevitable big brother with his girlfriend scene and his shirt off to titillate the teenage viewers, but overall a very nice movie! No bad language.
My Ratings: Good / 5
Christopher Winter, age 51
Positive—I went with my teenage daughter, and we both loved this movie. It gave us a chance to talk about the rebelliousness of the daughter and the hard-headedness of the dad. We were hard pressed to remember the profanity after the movie (2 that we could remember). This is one of the better-done movies of late, both in acting and story. Go see it, and maybe they will make more. p.s. Stay for Tim McGraw’s song over the final credits; it’s worth it!!
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4½
Joe Keuhlen, age 48
Negative
Negative—My husband and I took our four daughters to see this film, and I nearly walked out of the theatre before the movie was even halfway over. I only stayed because I wanted to use it for an object lesson to teach my daughters of how not to act. I was totally turned off by the constant disrespectful, rebellious, disobedient, attitude of the daughter. To top it off, the wife sided with her children and did not honor her husband. In the end, the daughter gets what she wants, even with her unrepenting attitude. Use this film to teach your children the wages of sin.
My Ratings: Offensive / 4½
Phyllis McKay, age 37
Comments from young people
Positive—My dad took me to see this movie because I love horses and it’s a story about a father and daughter so we thought it would be good for both of us to go together. When we went I didn’t expect it to be great, but I was surprised. In the beginning the main character, Katy snuck out at night to see this wild horse that her father had forbidden anyone to go near. That bothered me a little, but you have to remember that the father and Katy have a sort of conflict that is causing the disobedience and disrespect, but as the movie progressed it got better as they learned more about each other. The only other thing that bothered me was a scene when the brother and his girlfriend are talking and then they kiss. It wasn’t too long or anything and I had kind of expected them to put something like that in, but it didn’t have much bearing on the story and I didn’t see it as necessary. Besides those things I thought it was a good story and I would recommend it for any age.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Anne, age 14
Positive—I thought this was surprisingly well done. Good choice on actors, and I also liked that this movie could evoke emotions from the audience without using profanity. I really liked this movie and plan to see it again, soon!
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Katie, age 19
Positive—I went to this movie with my mom. It was very inspiring. She taught me to fight for what you want. When your parents say no, they mean no; she didn’t care, she knew everything would be okay through thick or thin. Flicka was the only thing in her life that she could compare herself to; none really understood that until they figured out that she kept sneaking out to get this horse to love her and for the horse to know that she was there for her. This movie is a good lesson, and I loved it.
My Ratings: Excellent! / 5
Heather, age 14
Negative—Although I like family movies, and the movie was good, funny, and fascinating, but there was bad stuff. I did not like the way the girl acted, and I didn’t pay much attention to it. I fell asleep during most of the parts in this movie. I think it’s best for girls, but not for boys. Plus, I saw it when the girl got sick, and it worried me. My family seemed to like it, though. I also saw the horses running too many times, and I heard the girl’s mother say a bad word. This is not a Christian movie.
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 3
Evan, age 13
Positive—While at the theater watching this movie, I must admit that I was a little embarrassed over the fact that this movie is what some consider to be a “chick flick,” but I soon got over this fact when I started to notice just how good this movie really was. I thought that this movie was one of the best to come out of Hollywood recently, and I certainly wouldn’t mind viewing it again. I never had high hopes for the movie because I went to see it because I was pretty bored, but what was a boring Friday night turned into a fun time at the movies because of “Flicka.” Now, though I did love this movie, I am not saying that it does not have anything that some might consider to be objectionable in it. For example, the main character often defies her father throughout the entire movie, but it all comes together in the end in a way you would probably only understand if you watched it. There also is some language in the movie, but not what could be called “heavy.” Despite the minor flaws that “Flicka” contains, I strongly recommend “Flicka” for family viewing if only for a person’s love of horses; I really enjoyed this movie and I don’t regret going to see it at all.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Ashton Kyle, age 14
Positive—I thought the movie “Flicka” was a great family film. I did notice a couple language problems which were minor, but overall it was good. I recommend it to all my friends, even if they’re not all out horse lovers like myself. When I went to see it for the first time, I knew I would like it, but wasn’t expecting it to turn out as well as it did. Because the main character is a girl it can result in the feeling of it being a “chick flick.” I loved the scenery and the lighting which made everything come more to life. The script was well written and I enjoyed the music, especially Tim McGraw’s “My Little Girl” that played during the credits. “Flicka” is worth going to see.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Taryn, age 16
Neutral—I would only see this movie if you are a horse lover. The horses and scenery were beautiful. The two major problems with this film were the girl’s disobedience and the language. If you are taking younger children, you’ll probably need to explain to them that not following directions is wrong. Katie lied to her father, did things against his will, and also lied in order to participate in a competition. Katie’s brother also helped her disobey the father several times. Overall, the movie was sweet even if it did have some issues.
My Ratings: Average / 3½
Katy, age 15
Positive—I loved it!!!… it was great. Even though it was sad, it still was great. Only a few words in it, but I rented it for 3 bucks, and it was totally worth it. If you have kids of any age, especially daughters then this would, be a great flick!!!…
My Ratings: Excellent! / 5
Holly B., age 12
Negative—I did not enjoy this movie. It was very sappy and corny, like all other horse movies. I love horses and have one of my own, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy the movies, and I especially did not like this one. However, the acting was well done, and the scenery was beautiful, but, in all, I don’t plan on buying this movie.
My Ratings: Average / 2
Ellen, age 13
Positive—Great film, I really enjoyed it. I think every girl and her mother or father should see this.
My Ratings: Good / 4½
Kelly, age 22