Secretariat’ not as smooth as its namesake

Beware of movies that begin with quotes from the Book of Job . Not that “Secretariat” is something you should avoid. It’s just good to know what you’re getting into.

And what “Secretariat” presents is the story not of a horse but of that horse’s owner, a Denver housewife — and I use that dated term intentionally — named Penny Tweedy, or Penny Chenery, or Mom, or what have you. Her very name is an issue because it represents her two sides: first, the wife of a Denver lawyer and mother of a needy brood coming of age during the Age of Aquarius (in movie terms, namely, 1969-73).

Second, and more important to the film, she’s the daughter of a horse breeder and no slouch of a horse-trader herself.

When mom dies, and with dad clearly failing, Penny decides to take over. She goes against everything: her brother, the Harvard professor, who just wants to dump the farm for what they can get for it; her husband, who wants his live-in housekeeper to continue making his life one of exceeding comfort; the horse world, which questions the abilities of a presumed outsider, a woman and a housewife, not necessarily in that order; and even the culture overall, which even then was questioning a woman’s role outside the home.

And she even goes against good sense when, after losing a coin toss, she is happy about taking the seeming lesser of two colts to the sire Bold Ruler . That colt, known as Big Red but to become famous as Secretariat, would become the greatest racehorse ever, winning the Triple Crown in a fashion that has never been equaled, breaking records for speed and margin of victory (by 31 lengths in the Belmont).

At first, however, our protagonist must struggle. And director Randall Wallace , working from the book by William Nack (played in the film by “Entourage” star Kevin Connolly ), takes every advantage of that struggle. Even to the point of making “Secretariat” feel, at times, like a Lifetime film.

The result is that “Secretariat” doesn’t really find its way. Sure, the racing scenes are exciting, as exciting as they can be when we already know the outcome. And, sure, Diane Lane is fine as Penny Tweedy/Chenery/Mom/Etc. And any story about a character’s struggle to discover her true self, especially when everyone is trying to impose limits on her, is worth pursuing.

But there’s something about “Secretariat” that feels as if everyone is trying a bit too hard to make it something … more. It’s the exact opposite of the horse from which the movie takes its title. That horse, a big red machine, was as powerful and natural a winner as has ever graced the track. And he made it look easy.

Wallace’s film feels more like … the Book of Job, where nothing comes easy. Even, and maybe even especially, faith.

Below : Secretariat’s real-life victory in the Belmont, as convincing a win as has ever been recorded.