Charity's Place

WILD HEARTS CAN'T BE BROKEN

REVIEWED BY STEPHANIE VALE

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

Every once in awhile a story comes along that is so heartfelt, so touching, that it reaches a chord deep inside us. Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken is one of those stories. Based on real life, it follows the tale of an orphan girl named Sonora Webster. After Sonora's parents die of "the fever" and her aunt leaves her at the mercy of the local orphanage, Sonora runs away with plans to become one of Dr. Carver's diving girls. After walking all through the night, Sonora reaches the local fairgrounds where she befriends a young man named Clifford. When Clifford (who sells hot dogs off a stand of his own invention) accidentally cuts his finger, Sonora spits on the wound and rubs mud on it, telling him, "This will take the sting right out, and the mud will keep it from blistering." Clifford seems quite taken with her, and when she asks him where to find Dr. Carver, he sends her off with directions and a witty reply, "and thanks for spitting on me!"

Sonora finds Dr. Carver, who turns her down and bluntly tells her that he doesn't like her (to which she replies, "That's because you don't know me"). After much persistence and persuasion, Dr. Carver finally agrees to take her on as a stable hand at their place in Virginia. Sonora initially gets off on the wrong foot with Carver's son Al but her spirit and determination soon win him over and set them on the path to friendship. Coming up against seemingly insurmountable obstacles and crushing disappointment, Sonora nonetheless strives on, never giving up and letting nothing discourage her from following her dream: "To get to Atlantic City, where all your dreams come true." She is a girl with heart; brave and courageous, boldly facing and defying the odds.

Morally, this movie does fine, with bravery, courage, determination, friendship, and love as the main focal points. Even though initially there is a lot of friction between father and son, it is eventually resolved. There are a few things to keep in mind: a young girl back-talks a teacher and runs away, and someone tells a few lies and keeps them secret (although it seems to catch up with them in the end). The language is very mild, with one use of GD, one use of the Lord's name in vain, and one use of "hell." Disney gave this film a G rating, but I would take care before letting any really young children watch it, due to some intense moments. A father and son get in a bit of a fight, there is an "after-gambling" scuffle, one girl punches another girl in the face, and an older woman smacks a younger girl in the face for back-talking. There are a few references that you should take note of, one about having more fun "chasing women and gambling" than working, and a very mild sentence referring to a girl developing into a woman: "to be a diving girl you've got to have more than what you've got." All in all, the content and language are fairly mild, and should not stop you from checking out this excellent, family-friendly film.

I absolutely love this movie, from beginning to end!! I can watch it over and over again, it continually inspires me to follow my dreams and never give up! After a particularly tough moment, when Sonora falls from her horse and gets a bloody nose (and is obviously in some pain), she looks up with a steely and determined look in her eye and says, "I never cry." From the first time that I saw this movie as a girl of 13, and even until today, I still tear up as Sonora defies impossible odds to fulfill her dreams. "If you want something bad enough, anything is possible."