I had heard of this film from somewhere, and I knew it was about a horse, and I guess I was kind of interested to see if I would agree with the two stars out of five the critics give it, so I watched it. Basically Katherine 'Katy' McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) is the daughter of rancher Rob McLaughlin (Tim McGraw),and she hopes to one day take over the family ranch, her father however hopes her older brother Howard (True Blood's Ryan Kwanten) will take over. She has failed to complete her high school essay and naturally faces her father's disappointment, but things perk up when she comes across a Mustang horse during a close encounter with a lion. Katy plans to capture this horse and train to ride on, this is an effort to prove she can take responsibility to run the ranch, she names the (female) horse Flicka, and her father is not best pleased. As time goes by she tries to do everything possibly to keep the horse calm and teach it the lessons it needs to be tamed, but eventually Flicka is sold to rodeo to be used in races. With some help from brother Howard, and dressing as a man, Katy manages to get on and rescue the horse from her new stronghold, and they ride away to make their way home again. However they have another encounter with a lion, and Flicka ends up seriously injured, while Katy become ill during the storm they are caught in, there is the possibility the horse will have euthanized, and sure enough there is an overheard gunshot. Katy for a while is depressed, but she is overjoyed to see that Flicka is still alive, the shot fired was on the lion, and the horse has made a remarkable recovery, the film ends with them riding together peacefully through the mountains of Wyoming. Also starring Coyote Ugly's Maria Bello as Nell McLaughlin, Jeffrey Nordling as Rick Koop, Danny Pino as Jack, Dallas Roberts as Gus and Kaylee DeFer as Miranda Koop. If you imagine Black Beauty meets Seabiscuit or something like that, then that is pretty much how to sum up this horse movie, the acting is corny but alright, the locations look nice, and the story is full of schmaltz and sentimental stuff that make it rather predictable, but if you like horses then it is not too terrible drama. Okay!

Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) struggles in boarding school and would rather work at the family horse farm. Her father Rob (Tim McGraw) is grooming her older brother Howard (Ryan Kwanten) to take over instead but that's not his dream. She returns home to the ranch with her father, brother, mother Nell (Maria Bello),ranch hands Jack (Danny Pino) and Gus (Dallas Roberts). On a harrowing ride, she is rescued by a wild mustang from a mountain lion. They capture the horse and she calls her "Flicka". Her father balks at the expense and muddying of his purebred horse herd. He entertains an offer for the ranch which makes Howard happy and angers Katy. He sells Flicka to the Rodeo. With the help of Howard and his girlfriend Miranda Koop (Kaylee DeFer),Katy enters the rodeo as a man. When her father figures out the rouse, she decides to escape with Flicka.

Alison is getting a little too old to play a teenager. Tim McGraw is not the most imposing presence which his character needs badly. Maria Bello doesn't feel like a country wife. Most of it still works as a simple family movie. There are no real surprises. It's sentimental old fashion. There are a lot of horses and there are beautiful vistas. The drama is old time stuff and the villain is a mountain lion.

This is about a teenaged and traumatized young girl named Katy McLaughlin(Alison Lohman). After his boarding school she returns to home along with her lovely mother(Maria Bello) and family . The adolescent tries rehabilitate a wild horse and simultaneously her father(Tim McGraw). She captures it, being gently handled , she tames the wild stallion and names it Flicka. The magnificent horse escapes and Katy is determined effort to find her missing black colt. The father along with his cowboys(Danny Pino) tracks it down and is captured again and sold to a rodeo competition owner. But domineering father over her and brother(Ryan Kwanten) drives them both a renowned Mustang championship, a spectacular rodeo with savage horses.

The story concerns on a rebel teenager and a wild and intelligent horse who comes to be his best friend. The tale gets to capture the qualities about love, sacrifice, friendship and dramatic parents-sons relationship. Although is slow moving at times and some pedestrian, the movie is still effective enough to hold interest and bring a tear or two. Evocative and pleasant musical score by Aaron Zigman and glamorous,stunning cinematography by Michael Muro, reflecting spectacular outdoors. Director Michael Mayer after his impressive directorial debut('At home at the end of the world' with Colin Farrell and Dallas Roberts who plays here a secondary role) directs his second movie, exquisitely filmed and with many precious moments . The picture is a worthwhile treat the whole family can enjoy.

Another films about teens-horses relationship are the following : Tonka(directed by Lewis R. Foster with Sal Mineo),The Black Stallion(1979, Carrol Ballard) and different versions about 'Black Beauty' novel by Anne Sewell, directed by Max Nosseck(1946),filmed by James Hill(1971) with Mark Lester, and adaptation by Caroline Thomson(1994) with Sean Bean, among others.