Synopsis

Katy McLaughlin has returned home from private school to her families ranch in Wyoming. Later,while on a ride through mountain woods she encounters a wild mustang filly. She names the ebony filly Flicka (or 'beautiful young girl' in Swedish). Katy’s rancher father Rob sees nothing but trouble coming from the untamed mustang. None the less, conflicted by a need to harness her own wild ways, yet stay true to a free spirit within, Katy sets out to break through to Flicka and transform her into a riding horse. Despite her father’s disapproval, Katy goes on and forms an unbreakable bond with the wild horse. Her relationship with Flicka becomes a catalyst for change for the entire McLaughlin family, which is at a major crossroads: Katy’s dad is considering selling the ranch; her mother Nell, is fighting to keep her family from falling apart and her brother Howard wants to go to college in Boston. Can Katy ultimately tame her beloved Flicka and prove everyone wrong about the mustang? Will Rob find a way to support his daughter yet still keep her safe through this momentous life passage? Can the McLaughlins hold onto the ranch they’ve worked so hard at?

What The Critics Say

"An engrossing and beautifully acted remake that salutes horses, freedom, and familial love in ways that stir the heart." Frederic and Mary Ann SPIRITYALITY AND PRACTICE "This is the kind of movie that many families are looking for, but all too rarely receive." Nancy Churnin DALLAS MORNING NEWS "A skillfully told, beautifully shot coming-of-age story." Pete Hammond MAXIM "A coming-of-age tale that proves as gentle as its subject is wild." Evan Henerson LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS "If you seek high-quality family entertainment, you have a friend in "Flicka." The kind of film that all ages deserve; it doesn't stoop to bathroom humor, it doesn't rely on cruelty-based "jokes" to get cheap laughs that passes for family entertainment nowadays." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES

"This is a genuinely nice movie that wears its old-fashioned values proudly, and I had a good time watching it. Flicka is for the teenage girl in all of us." Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT "Family drama pitched to young adults that's honest, tough and surprisingly engaging." Stephen Hunter WASHINGTON POST "Breathtaking scenery and the sweet story of a girl, her dad and a special horse make Flicka a worthwhile family flick." Annemarie Moody ARIZONA REPUBLIC "Lovely vistas, and earnest performances, and Allison Lohman, is very believable." Richard Roeper EBERT & ROEPER "Flicka is a great family flick, perfect for a dad-and-daughter date, a family film outing, and everyone who's read and loved the book." Kim Voynar CINEMATICAL

The Inside Story Author Mary O'Hara (Mary Alsop) was born on July l0, 1885, in Cape May Point, New Jersey. She was the third child of four born to the Reverend Dr Reese Fell Alsop, an Episcopal clergyman, and of Mary Lee Spring. Mary O'Hara grew up in Brooklyn Heights, New York. In 1905 she married Kent Kane Parrot and moved to California where she became a screenwriter during the silent film era writing screenplays and adapting scripts for film projects. Her second marriage to Heige Sture-Vasa in 1922, brought her to Wyoming. Wyoming must have had a huge impresssion on Mary for it would lead to her writing three books during her twenty five years in the state. The first, "My Friend Flicka" would go on to become a timeless classic. Published in 1941, the book was adapted for the screen and made into a movie starring former Hollywood great and at that time, child star Roddy McDowall (17/9/28 - 3/10/98) as Ken McLaughlin. Just two years later in 1945, Roddy McDowall, Preston Foster and Rita Johnson would star in a sequel, "Thunderhead", the big screen adaptation of O'Hara's novel "Thunderhead - Son Of Flicka". Mary O'Hara returned to the east after her divorce in 1947, making her home in Monroe, Connecticut in 1948. That year, her third novel, "Green Grass of Wyoming" was made into a movie. It starred Peggy Cummins, Charles Coburn, the iconic Burl Ives and Robert Arthur as Ken McLaughlin. In 1968, Mary O'Hara settled in Chevy Chase, Maryland where she resided until her death on October 14, 1980. O'Hara was also a gifted pianist and composer. Her great love for the piano also inspired her to compose many pieces for that instrument including, "Esperan," "Green Grass of Wyoming," "May God Keep You," and "Wind Harp." Just over a quarter of a century after Mary O'Hara's death, Fox 2000 President Elizabeth Gabler approached veteran screenwriters Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner ("The Legend of Billie Jean", "For Love or Money" and "Planet of the Apes") to adapt 'My Friend Flicka' for the big screen. "We went straight back to the novel and decided to maintain its tone, which was deeply felt, but somewhat dark," says Rosenthal. "We found its themes even more significant today, as the American West, particularly Wyoming, has become a playground of second homes for the new super-wealthy. The story of an average, hard-working family eking out a living on the land and raising horses seemed to take on a whole new relevance in light of our country’s current economic climate." But where did the idea come from, for changing the gender of lead character to a young girl (named Katy) instead of the time honoured ranchers boy Ken. It was Elizabeth Gabler who came up with the idea. Why? To make the story fresh, modern and stylish in design. And why not! "This new twist gave Rob, the father, an exciting dilemma: What if the child that really understood the land and the ranch was the daughter, and not the son? This coupled with her headstrong personality and sometimes irresponsible ways generated a new way to look at the material," Rosenthal revealed. "Things pretty much flowed from the one central new idea," Konner eplained, "allowing us to create a father-daughter story where both characters had to learn something about themselves and each other. Each one had to re-examine their role within a revised family dynamic." Next job was to find a director. That job went to Michael Mayer. "I thought it was a really beautiful, universal story about the coming-to-terms of a father and daughter," says Mayer. "It just so happens that a wild mustang is at the fulcrum of their relationship. What moved me most is how hard the family tries to make it all work. Everyone has the best intentions; there are no villains other than the vagaries of time and circumstance." With the director onboard, the search began for the right cast. The pivotal role of Katy went to actress Alison Lohman. "I was instantly drawn to the character of Katy," Lohman confirmed. "I loved the fact that she’s not afraid to be opinionated. Even though she’s young, she stands her ground and knows what she wants. At the same time she’s also very soft and girly. I really liked that contradiction in her." Director Michael Mayer was obviously impressed by her past performances. "Alison's a great actress," he says. "Her performances have been amazingly soulful and truthful, with a depth that belies her years. I knew she could bring to Katy the exact combination of intelligence and emotional volatility." The role of Katy's rancher father went to Two time GRAMMY Award winning country and western singing star Tim McGraw who recently made his screen debut alongside Billy Bob Thornton in the acclaimed, true life football drama, "Friday Night Lights" (2004), in which he played Charles Billingsley. Tim was pleased to get the 'more friendly' role this time around. In fact he didn't want the role initially, but says in the end he was impressed with the romantic values of the film. "Rob has his tougher moments, but he’s a good guy and solid family man,"says McGraw. "It was a great opportunity to do a movie that my kids, and kids for generations to come, could see and enjoy." McGraw was recently honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 6901 Hollywood Blvd near stars in the sidewalk honoring Julie Andrews, William Shatner and the late Greta Garbo. Both Billy Bob Thornton and Alison Lohman attended the ceremony honouring this highly talented entertainer. Playing the role of Rob's wife Nell, was a departure from the usual roles Maria Bello has taken on. "I don’t tend to be attracted to what could be considered 'lighter' material, but when I heard Michael Mayer was directing I realized I should pay attention," notes the star of "The Cooler". "When I read the script, with its beautifully written relationships, I knew exactly why Michael was involved, and I knew I had to be too." Good news for "Home & Away" fans is the appearance by Australia's Ryan Kwanten as Katy's older brother Howard, who by the way, does a very serviceable job in this role. Aside from McGraw, most of the cast had little or no experience working with horses, so it was off to 'Cowboy Camp' for the cast, so they could learn the ropes. Head wrangler Rusty Hendrickson introduced the actors to the horses they’d be riding, and established an overall comfort level with the animals. "Whether it was teaching them how to twirl a rope, get on and off a horse properly, or any other related nuance, the goal was to make sure the actors would be able to sell it on film," Hendrickson explained. "Though everyone’s aptitude around horses was different, the wrangler maintains sometimes it’s easier to teach someone who’s sponging in the information, than someone who already knows everything. They just hear more." The one person who had to come across as being the most realistic around horses was Lohman. "You can’t act like you can ride. You can either ride or you can’t," Hendrickson declared. "So the first piece of business was getting Alison in the saddle. We had to bring her along fairly quickly, but we were all surprised and impressed with how well she did." "With riding a horse, I think it’s just a matter of doing it, of just practicing and being with the horses, touching them, spending time with them," says Lohman. "It was daunting and painful at first, but after weeks of training, it eventually started coming together. I was really proud of what I was able to accomplish in a relatively short time." When it came to Lohman connecting emotionally with the horses Hendrickson recalls, "Alison wanted to know what a horse needs and what she should expect in return. She was as hard-working about the relationship as she was with the riding." Bello admitted she was too was inexperienced and, a little scared of the horses. "I’d always been attracted to horses, but also sort of afraid of them," she admits. "But after about my third lesson on Belle, the paint mare I ride, I suddenly understood what it meant to find your seat, to become one with the animal. It started to become a very Zen experience for me, this balance of control and surrender, which I look for often in my real daily life." Director Mayer also received a crash course in what horses could and couldn't do. "I quickly learned that horses aren’t performers, but rather really beautiful, intuitive animals. The last thing they were going to care about is where I want them to look when I yell action!" He remebers asking Hendrickson if a horse could perform a particular task and was quickly told, "Michael, it’s a horse, not an actor." It was a big task for Hendrickson who worked with ten other wranglers, thirty head of ranch horses, ten additional cast horses, plus six different 'Flickas' to prepare the animals for filming. There's lots of natural beauty and wide open spaces in "Flicka", but even in the USA, land is disappearing fast as housing delopement expands, bringing with it all the demands of suburban life. Lohman has her own hope for the audience, "that the film will bring them back to nature and remind everyone that the country’s wide-open spaces needs to be preserved and honored. It can’t all be tract homes and malls," she declared. "We need to have some land left." It's a sentiment many share today. One aspect of filming does bear mentioning. Two horses unfortunately died during the filming of "Flicka". The American Humane Association, who works closely with the film industry investigated the two incidents and declared that the deaths were not the fault of the filmmakers. The Verdict "While this is a film aimed squarely at the female gender and in particular young girls, there are enough strong male roles, including that of former "Home and Away" star Ryan Kwanten, to ensure that "Flicka" can broadly be tauted as a 'family' film. Breaking away from the traditional telling of Mary O'Hara's 1941 "My Friend Flicka" should attract a new generation of horse-lovers to this time honoured classic which now places a teenage girl in the central role. Good entertainment. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "FLICKA" stars .......
Three Time People's Choice Award and Two Time Grammy Award winner Tim McGraw ["Something to Talk About", "Driven", "Home On The Range" and "Friday Night Lights"]; Screen Actors Guild Award winner Maria Bello ["The Cooler", "A History of Violence", "Thank You For Smoking" and "World Trade Centre"]; Ryan Kwanten ["A Country Practice", "Water Rats" and "Home and Away"]; Danny Pino ["Between", "Simple Lies" and "The Lost City"]; Nick Searcy ["Tigerland", "Runaway Jury" and "The Assassination of Richard Nixon"], Kaylee DeFer ["Underclassman" and "The Powder Puff Principle"] and Alison Lohman ["The Million Dollar Kid", "White Oleander", "Matchstick Men" and "Big Fish"] as Katy McLaughlin.
"FLICKA" was .......
directed by Drama Desk Award winner Michael Mayer ["A Home at the End of the World" and Broadway Productions: "Thoroughly Modern Millie", "The Lion in Winter" and "A View from the Bridge"]; screenplay by Mark Rosenthal & Lawrence Konner ["Desperate Hours", "Mighty Joe Young", "Mercury Rising" and "Mona Lisa Smile"]; director of photography by J Michael Muro ["Dances With Wolves", "A Few Good Men", "Open Range" and "Crash"]; original music composed by Aaron Zigman ["John Q", "The Notebook" and "Raise Your Voice"] production design by Sharon Seymour ["The Truth About Cats & Dogs", "The Rules Of Attraction", "Bad Santa" and "Friday Night Lights"] costume design by Molly Maginnis ["Look Who’s Talking I & II", "As Good As It Gets", "Life As A House" and "The Shaggy Dog"]; produced by Gil Netter ["My Best Friend’s Wedding", "Dude, Where’s My Car?", "Phone Booth" and "Fever Pitch"]. Run Time 94 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - 20th Century Fox - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2007 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved