FamilyFans Movies
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FLICKA (PG)
Plot Summary: A teenage girl catches and tames a mustang, amidst family turmoil.
Reason for the Rating: Some mild language.
My Friend Flicka, by Mary O’Hara, is a book children have read and enjoyed for years, and makes for a wonderful movie. It’s a classic story of the love for an animal, and how that relationship forms a child into who they will become as an adult. The adaptation from book to movie is well done here, with excellent writing and acting. Although there are some major changes made (namely, the main character in the book is a boy, and in the movie it’s a girl), the themes and ideas of the book are well preserved and come across beautifully in the movie. Not only is the story well written, but the scenery is amazing. Much of the movie was shot in Wyoming, in big sky country of green rolling hills and open farmland. Breathtaking.
Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) is a beautiful girl…a “Flicka.” She’s young, opinionated, and wild at heart…and about to get kicked out of boarding school for bad grades. So she returns home to her family’s Wyoming ranch for the summer, back to the land of big belt buckles, rodeos, and wild horses.
This is where Katy is happiest, where horses run free and the beauty of the land overtakes you. She doesn’t really care if she goes back to boarding school, as she would rather stay on the ranch, unlike her brother, Howard (Ryan Kwanten), who is more than ready to leave for college. But, her parents, Rob (Tim McGraw) and Nell (Maria Bello) aren’t about to have her miss the opportunities schooling can afford. Her parents expect Howard to stay and run the ranch while Katy goes to college. Nonetheless, Katy’s responsibilities for the summer are to help on the ranch and do make up homework so she can return to school in the fall. Katy grudgingly agrees, until she happens upon a wild mustang on ranch property.
Against
her father’s permission, Katy attempts to catch the mustang, only to cause a
stampede among her father’s herd of horses – and very nearly bankrupt her dad in
the process. Rob is not happy with Katy, and while he keeps the wild mustang in
a pen, he instructs Katy that no one is to enter the pen at any time. Katy,
being just as wild at heart as that mustang, ignores her father’s decision, and
makes nightly visits to the horse - who she names Flicka - attempting to train
her. If Flicka is trained then her father will see Katy’s ability to run the
ranch, and will have to let her keep the wild horse.
Her plan seems to be working well at first, until one night when she attempts to ride Flicka outside the pen. An unwise decision, as the horse throws Katy and awakens the entire house in the process. Her father is so hurt and angry that he sells Flicka the very next day to the rodeo. Katy is beside herself with grief, and comes up with a crazy scheme to get Flicka back. A scheme that may cost Katy and Flicka their lives… (If you don’t know what happens next, I’m not going to tell you! You’ll just have to see the film for yourself.)
Stories
that involve relationships between parent and child are almost always touching,
and Flicka is no different. The tension and struggle between Katy and her
father is one many families face. As a child grows into an adult, beginning to
assert independence and forming opinions that may differ from his or her
parents, or making decisions that parents don’t agree with, the relationship
fights to find common ground and right itself. Flicka reminds us that
even though these times are hard, they are part of the growth and change of
parent-child relationships, and can serve to strengthen the bond if we let them.FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:
This is a beautiful movie that elementary aged children (and their sentimental parents) will enjoy. Little girls who love horses will especially adore this film.
AFTER THE SHOW:
• How could Katy and Howard have handled their situations better? What difference might that have made?
• Do you have a personality trait others might see as a weakness, but that God could use as a strength in your life?
• What is your passion in life? Why do you suppose God gave you that passion?
JW
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