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Big Spender

2003, Movie, PG, 95 mins

Big Spender: Review

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Made for cable's Animal Planet channel, this restrained heart-tugger about an abused racehorse with the heart of a champion is the answer to an animal lover's prayers. Petty criminal Eddie Burton (Casper Van Dien), who's spent his life drifting in and out of the prison system, vows to straighten up when for the sake of his small son, Will (Matthew Knight). But even with parole in sight, the hot-tempered Eddie allows another inmate to provoke him. A concerned warden thinks Eddie might be able to get his temper under control if he spent some time at a horse farm run by Jake Cotter (Graham Greene). Eddie resents cleaning stables, but bonds with a nag called Big Spender he's assigned to groom. Big Spender was sold to an abusive owner he was retired from the track, and has lost the will to live. But Eddie refuses to give up on the horse and, as his efforts to rehabilitate the animal begin to pay off, Eddie dreams of getting a degree and obtaining a racetrack job after his release. Eddie's mom dies in a car accident and Will is sent into foster care; giving Eddie further incentive to get out of jail and get his future in order. The stables have fallen in arrears and Eddie formulates a plan: Big Spender's Old jockey, Mel Tennant (Tara Spencer Nairn), has been exercising the horse and Eddie suggests that Big Spender could enjoy a second career as a show horse. If Mel and Eddie can retrain the horse, Big Spender could help raise funds for the prison program and prove conclusively that Eddie has been rehabilitated. Without ever resorting to preachy cliches, screenwriter Jayne Martin's skillfully shaped story demonstrates that adversity can build character and unselfishness can reward the do-gooder unexpectedly. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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