All the Pretty Horses (2000)

 

cast: Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz

 

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: PG13

 
reviewed by: Charity Bishop
   

I'm a sucker for horse movies, probably because I grew up on a ranch. I used to watch Misty and The Rogue Stallion almost daily after school. So naturally a film with a title like this would intrigue me enough to rent it when I had the chance. All the Pretty Horses is a slow moving story that pretends to be a story about romance. But in reality, it's more about honor, racism, and one man's journey to find happiness.

John and Lacey are best friends. They're also cow hands in the mid 1950's just after the second world war. John's grandfather has died, leaving his Texas ranch in the hands of his daughter (John's mother) who intends to sell it to the oil company and move to California to get in show business. John has always dreamed of owning and managing his own ranch and is devastated by the loss, which the lawyers assure him cannot be rectified. The ranch is legally hers and she can do whatever she wants with it. Disappointed and angry, John turns his sights on Mexico as a place for prosperity, where the ranches are huge, the work plentiful, and the natives likable. Talking Lacey into coming with him, the two set out for the long trail ride over the rough terrain  and across the Rio Grande. Along the way they pick up Jimmy Blevins, a teenage boy running away from an abusive stepfather. The threesome have a fairly easy time of it getting into Mexico but are separated from Jimmy's horse is stolen in a rainstorm and he takes it back. Lacey is relieved to be rid of him, but John is more concerned... there's nothing they can do.

They manage to get a job as ranch hands on one of the largest cattle ranches in Mexico, the last of big-time landowners. His daughter Alejandra is something of a "looker" who swiftly connects with John and his quiet mannerisms. The pair are only too happy to pursue a romantic relationship involving midnight swims and long horseback rides, but her overbearing great aunt isn't pleased with the match. An American cowboy and the daughter of a wealthy landowner? It spells disaster... and both know that something is on the wind. They just don't know how devastating it will turn out to be. There are some good lessons to be learned from All the Pretty Horses, and it's a realistic portrait of life in a Mexican jail. The opening and closing dialogue mention God, heaven, and His will. What it is in actuality is two men's struggle to find heaven on earth... and live in hell instead. It's also a look into the prejudice between two nations and has some very meaningful peeks into such heavy issues as child abuse, mingled with a Romeo & Juliet-style romance. But with its praiseworthiness comes many flaws. Unlike Romeo & Juliet, John and Alejandra don't wait for marriage vows before they start fooling around.

They're seen skinny-dipping (implied), passionately necking and kissing, and rolling around in bed a couple of times in a montage. She comes to his room once or twice and is seen leaving by a work hand. There's also some violence (mainly a man is attacked and stabbed in prison, horse thieves are shot at, and police brutality) but what concerned me most was the high level of profanity. Cowhands have been known to have fine string of cuss words but these seem to favor some of the harsher terms. Even the kids spew it forth. Jesus is abused once, and GD at least seven or eight times. Maybe an interesting way to spend a few hours, but All the Pretty Horses has trouble rounding up the mustangs when it comes to family-friendliness. Someone should halter this one.