Kathleen Recommends "Secretariat"

It doesn't matter whether you like horses--okay, it helps--or horse racing, you will enjoy the new movie, "Secretariat." Even though you know the horse wins the Triple Crown, the movie has you gripping the armrests during the races. It's beautifully filmed--incredible race sequences--well-written, and the performances are terrific. And the story is compelling.

Clyde and I went to see this one immediately, and it is definitely worth seeing on the big screen. There's the action--you really feel like you're racing--and a certain grandeur in the setting. But it's the storytelling that wins the roses with this movie. Much of the script was based on a book about Secretariat's groom, Eddie Sweat, who is a wonderful supporting character in the movie. But this is owner Penny Chenery Tweedy's story, and it's one most women I know can relate to in one way or another. Penny is a wife and mother living in Colorado who goes home to Virginia for her mother's funeral. Her father's health is failing, and her brother wants to sell the home place and the horse business.

When Penny realizes that the trainer who's worked for her father for years is trying to finagle a deal on one of the mares for another farm, she decides to step in. She knows very little about horse racing, but the man rubbed her the wrong way. Against the advice of her brother and husband, she finds a new trainer. The mare drops an amazing foal, and we're off and running.

Relationships drive this story, and that's where fine script writing comes in. Penny makes difficult choices, and we watch her juggle her many roles while she plays her cards close to the chest in a world dominated by men. We know the horse will win, but how will Penny fare? (That's jockey Ron Turcott and the real Penny on the left.)

Diane Lane is wonderful in this role, and John Malkovich plays eccentric trainer Lucien Lauren with his usual flair. ( Malkovich is one of my favorite actors. )

Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973, just days before my first baby was born. I came home from the movie, took the baby book from the trunk, and turned to the page headed "In the News." I had listed stuff about Watergate, Vietnam, and "Secretariat Wins the Triple Crown." Oh, yeah. It was big news.

I just got the cover for the 2-in-1 re-release of two of my favorite Silhouettes--BROOMSTICK COWBOY and DEFENDER. My "look" of late has been the lone cowboy, which is fine by me. You don't find many Western romances these days except in series, and it's always been a favorite theme for me. A CERTAIN KIND OF HERO is scheduled for December, so I'll talk it up in a month or so. Just thought I'd see what you think of my new guy, who fits Tate Harrison--hero of BROOMSTICK COWBOY very nicely.

Oh, and I saw previews for a movie we'll be taking the kids to first day out around Thanksgiving. Disney's version of Rapunzel is called "Tangled," and I tell you I laughed aloud through the whole trailer.

DVD recommendation: "The Other Man" with Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, and Antonio Banderas. Terrific!

Have you seen any good movies lately? Any you'd like to warn us against?

Kathleen Presents: Chick Flicks Guys Like

I have some book news, but I'll save that until the end, when I'll also mention that I'll be giving away a book in celebration of said book news. But I digress.

We talk about chick flicks here periodically, and I'm usually the bearer of the bucket of cold water because I'm not a huge fan. Or the one I rave about is likely to be the one everyone else hates. But I saved an article called "A Guy's Guide to Rom-Coms" from last Friday's Minneapolis Star Tribune partly because I found Strib columnist Tom Horgen's 11 picks worthy of discussion, but mainly because unprompted my husband said, "Hey, did you see this article? I think this guy's got something here." And that cowboy of mine is definitely not a big romantic comedy fan.

I realize not every chick flick is a romantic comedy, but chick flicks are all aimed at women, and I would say the basic theme is building relationships. Going out on a limb here, I think all rom-coms are chick flicks. Men regard them as chick flicks. So rom-coms are chick flicks that men might like. But which ones? The article is all about recent flicks, but for my money it's still hard to beat some of the classics like "It Happened One Night" and any number of Tracy-Hepburn movies. Many of our novels certainly reflect the timeless appeal of those match-ups. But these days I generally wait for the rom-coms to come out on DVD if I see them at all. Horgen starts out by saying that the rom-com is "on life support" and pans recent releases "The Switch" with Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore's "Going the Distance." I haven't seen them. I've seen ads. Not interested. As often as not, Hollywood seems to hand a log line to couple of stars who have CHICK APPROVED stamped on their SAG cards and offer them a bunch of money. Script to follow. Maybe.

Romantic comedy is a popular genre, and every genre has its set of basic formulas. Nothing wrong with that. But listen up, Hollywood: We get tired of seeing the same actors playing the same stock characters in the same story with the same tired dialogue. Script, please.


Horgen claims that the contemporary rom-com took off with "When Harry Met Sally" (1989). He acknowledges the basics: unlikely pair finds irresistible attraction complicated by seemingly immovable obstacle, comedy spices things up at every turn, couple ends up together in one way or another. Then he picks his favorites, which he says "maximized the genre's potential" from a guy's point of view. Here are his picks. See what you think.

11. Return To Me (David Duchovny, Minnie Driver) His wife was killed in an accident. She's the transplant recipient of his dead wife's heart.

10. Notting Hill (Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant) She's a big star. He's an ordinary bookstore owner.

9. Maid In Manhattan (Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes) Classic Cinderella.

8. Shakespeare In Love (Gwenneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes) The young Bard meets his match.

7. Brown Sugar (Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan) Old friends rediscover each other. Note: Mos Def and Queen Latifah really do steal the show.

6. Chasing Amy (Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams) He's a comic book artist, she's not interested. Note: an indie that doesn't fit the mold, but guys--my sons among them--really like this one.

5. Shall We Dance (the Japanese version) Married man secretly takes ballroom dance lessons from a bombshell.

4. High Fidelity (John Cusack, Jack Black, forgettable female) Record store owner breaking up with yet another girlfriend.

3. The American President (Michael Douglas, Annette Benning) President (single dad) falls for a lobbyist.

2. When Harry Met Sally (Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan) Will sex spoil a perfectly good friendship?

1. Knocked Up (Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl) This one turns the secret baby story on its head.

Horgen briefly explains his picks in the article. I haven't seen all of them, but I think the choices are interesting. Do you agree? Any puzzlers? Is this a case of Mars/Venus? What was the last rom-com you and your date both truly enjoyed?

I have an autographed book waiting to go out to one of our commenters.




And my good news is...

ONCE A FATHER is a USA Today Bestseller!