Category: Review

The True Story of a Welsh Village That Raised a Racehorse by Vanessa Thorpe | The Guardian/The Observer | May 30, 2021 Ever felt stirred by a warm sense of connection to the world around you? Well, the Welsh have a word for that precious sensation: “hwyl”, sounding a little like “hoyle” to an English…

A Winning, Feel-Good True Racing Tale by Pete Hammond | Deadline | May 20, 2021 If audiences are looking for a little uplift after a long time locked down, if they want a feeling of hope and human connection, and if they long for just a good old-fashioned, Rocky-like feel-good story, then Dream Horse, is…

A Familiar Bet by Glenn Kenny | New York Times | May 20, 2021 Toni Collette and Damian Lewis play two underdogs in Wales who invest in a race horse in this comedy-drama ripped from the headlines. In the comedy-drama “Dream Horse,” a woman who works two jobs gets an idea. Remembering her glory days…

A Satisfyingly Sweet True Story by David Ehrlich | Indiewire | May 19, 2021 The hard-luck residents of a Welsh mining town find new hope in this satisfyingly sweet true story about a racehorse that beat the odds. A charmingly guileless crowd-pleaser about a lovable group of working-class stiffs and red-faced retirees in a former…

Welsh Pride by Michael O’Sullivan | Washington Post | May 19, 2021 Based on a true story, “Dream Horse” is a straightforward and unfussy feel-good drama about a group of ordinary people from a small Welsh town who decide to inject a little zest (and the risk of financial ruin) into their humdrum lives by…

A Sense of Purpose, Companionship and Community by Katie Walsh | LA Times | May 19, 2021 What’s in a name? For the plucky Welsh racehorse Dream Alliance, well, a lot. His mighty moniker reflects the big dreams of his unlikely owners, a syndicate of working-class folks from a tiny Welsh coal-mining village. Based on…

Steady Gallop by AP News Wire | The Independent | May 20, 2021 The based-on-a-true-story “Dream Horse,” about a Welsh bartender who turns unlikely race horse breeder, is a feel-good movie that’s a little too heavy on the “feel-good” to really do the trick. But as with all long shots that pay off, “Dream Horse”…

A Warm-Hearted Tribute to a Spirited Animal and People by Mark Jenkins | Slant Magazine | May 17, 2021 ***3 out of 4 stars*** Anyone who’s seen Dark Horse, Louise Osmond’s 2015 documentary about a group of poor Welsh villagers pooling their money to bankroll a race horse, will know what’s going to happen in…