User Reviews

Learning about the real-life Black River Ranch made me wish I could like this movie better. The movie is lovely to look at; the scenery makes me long to visit this place myself. And I love horses, so anything from Seabiscuit to Secretariat will find me eagerly in front of the screen.

But that's where I have to stop. Everyone else seems to find it flawed because of the acting, and it's true, you won't find any Oscar winners here; everyone else has already ripped the actors to shreds, so there's no need to go there now. But it's not just the acting. It's the writing. The main character, Sam, comes from a home where her mother is single and working too hard to ever associate with the girl; her main relationship is with her grandmother, whose sweetness and emphasis on friendship and teamwork makes it just not make sense that the girl is such a cold, standalone snot. It gives her a great character arc--but that isn't handled well either, as the girl spends most of her time on her own, and the only two friends she seems to make are with the counselors, not among her peers. Even at the end of the movie when she makes the video to save the camp (and the video was not her idea, regardless of what any other reviewer says; it was a counselor's idea and she went along with it).

There's something that looks like a subplot in the middle of the movie when one of the counselors approaches a lonely little bespectacled girl and tells her not to feel bad for having a speech impediment, because she'll find something that she does really well instead. So one would expect to see this little girl at the end of the movie, having found her "thing"--but nope, she's back at the campfire with all the other non-stars, singing the usual silly songs.

So the themes of the movie--friendship and teamwork--never are pulled off, and I blame this solely on the writers, who apparently were on the clock and anxious to get home to dinner. It's a shame, because it could have been a much better movie.

Samantha Wick (played by 17-year-old Sophie Bolen) is a talented and young, American gymnast. She's also standoffish with a defensive personality. After getting cut from the U.S. Olympic team, her ailing grandmother pays for her to go to a horseback riding camp. When said campsite falls into financial turmoil, Samantha uses her notoriety and equestrian vaulting skills to attract more students and save the entire program.

That's the gist of The Horse Dancer, my latest review. Shot on location at Black River Farm & Ranch (in Cromwell, Michigan), it definitely has production values to boot. On the flip side, "Dancer" is also creepily childlike. And within its first forty-five minutes, you might see shades of the worst screen offering via 2017.

With G rating and nearly two-hour running time intact, The Horse Dancer at times plays off like an inexpert student film. It contains novice, wooden acting by almost everyone involved and a Muzak soundtrack that may make you cringe indelibly. I suppose without troupers Jason London (Dazed and Confused) and Richard Karn (of TVs Home Improvement) in supporting roles, this flick wouldn't even have the chance to get green- lighted.

Helmer Joel Paul Reisig does improve on "Dancer's" second half by settling in and giving it a more dramatic feel. And his direction although all over the place, still comes off as enthusiastic and somewhat authentic. Unfortunately, it's all too little, too late. And it can't compensate for what I mentioned in the last two paragraphs. Not by a long shot.

Parents who are able to sit through most G-rated films, might find The Horse Dancer to be a little tasking with its cramped dialogue exchanges and its overly lily-white nature. As for the kiddies, well they may embrace it depending on their non-animated attention spans and their tolerance for a mostly unlikable main character (her antagonistic counselor rival is no prize either). Overall, a mixed review from me.

I was hoping this movie would be good because I felt like the premise had a great deal of potential. Like others have stated, the acting was bad but that wasn't really my biggest issue with the characters. I don't know if it was a casting issue or if the director intended this, but aside from the Lisa character I found none of the main characters to really be likable at any point in the movie. Usually in movies like this when characters start off as obnoxious or stand-offish, there's that golden moment where someone or something touches their heart and then they become warm and likable. That never fully happened with these characters, in my opinion. Maybe other people felt differently but my opinion of these characters never truly changed all that much throughout the movie. I didn't even like that perky head counselor lady. I found her to be a terrible phony.

Also... what kind of place calls for a search party for a missing minor up to the point where they're getting ready to search the bottom of a lake, and doesn't call the girl's mom?!

As a Michigan Actress, I would like to give a round of applause to the Director/Actor: Joel Paul Reisig, for this outstanding film! Though I was not in this film personally, I did attend the premiere and was so proud of everyone for their hard work and dedication. What a beautiful family-friendly film. The script dealt with so many emotions, sad, happy, loss, challenge, excitement, and more. It was wonderful of the Director to include so many young actors and to allow them to experience being in a feature film. The quality and clarity of the filming were superb! Bringing in a few actors from Hollywood made the film that much exciting. From start to finish, this film grabbed my interest and my eyes never left the screen till after the credits. The premier was an autograph signing event, glitz and glamour and the respect and admiration the Director has for each and every cast member were admirable. Thank you, Joel, for making a difference in the lives of actors, of all ages.

The grandma reminded me of the wise monkey from Lion King. I'm glad the girl won in the end. I think I might ride horses now. I didn't think it was cool when her mom died. Why can't horses talk like they do in the morning? I'm inspired by Mr. C, and wish he had more speaking roles. This movie would have been perfect with Hillary Duff. This movie is definitely better than Christmas in the Smokies.

"The Horse Dancer" is based on a real summer camp for kids in Michigan. There is a great line spoken by the mean old businessman, who refuses to offer financial support to the failing camp: "I'm funding Obamacare!", proclaims the self-made man. Based on the results of Obamacare, his money would have been better spent on Black River Camp. Despite his lack of philanthropic motivation, the counselors and the kids at camp pool their resources to help save the camp.

The best relationship in the film was that of the gymnast Samantha and her grandmother. It was only unclear why Sam was such a prima donna, other than it was a necessary plot device. With the good influence of the grandmother, Sam shouldn't have been so grumpy.

The filming was beautiful with the farm, the animals, and the idyllic site for a summer camp. But the singing sessions were pretty bad. It wasn't no much the lousing singing, but the obnoxious lyrics that were grating. On the other hand, the silliness of the "flag" ritual and the jaw-dropping stupidity of the "announcements" were so bad that they eventually became endearing features of summer camp.

It was refreshing to watch a film with some decent values. The theme of teamwork was heartfelt, and the lead performer was a terrific gymnast. There was great comaraderie among the counselors and campers that embodied a truly positive spirit of Black River Farm.

Bravo!

It should have been a good movie. The premise was there...but the script was horrible and the acting worse. Why is Samantha such a princess? Why is her Mom such a ditz? Who gets an Olympic Trial letter in the mail?! There are so many plot holes and ridiculous jumps I am amazed this turkey was released. My 6yr old grandson, who loves horse movies, didn't last 20 minutes. I continued watching, because I kept HOPING it would get better. It just got worse...the "panic" filled search for a missing "grief stricken" Samantha ( seriously?!?!? Can we just say Barney Fife would have been more convincing) and then the sudden and miraculous performance of :The Horse Dancer...ugh. This is a couple hours I'll never get back. DON'T waste your time!

Oh dear, this movie leaves a lot to be desired. The grandmother's acting was actually painful it was so bad, although the terrible lines written for her can't have helped. The whole campfire songs and announcement stuff was embarrassing. I was a girl guide and we sang songs at camp but there wasn't all the shrieking and forced jollity. Still, I can see how American kids might be more into that sort of thing so I'll let that go as it's probably just me. By the way, why were they all girls? Were boys not allowed at the camp? For a horse camp there didn't seem to be an awful lot of knowledge about horses and this really grated on me. The girl who was described several times as 'the best rider in camp' could barely stay on at a walk and at one point when she was riding with the other 'veteran camper' (Lisa?) who was stiff as a board and hanging on to her almost stationary mount's mouth, both the horses appeared to be lame. The poor horses also seemed to be cross-tied day and night with no access to any food or water or opportunity to move around. I do hope that isn't true to life in American stables! The last bit of the movie was the icing on the cake as they shot a video with a stunt double who looked much bigger and more muscular than the actress, and the way it was shot made it so obvious it wasn't the same person with every pose showing only the back of her head or an arm! I must admit I don't really understand how the video 'saved' the ranch. I realise they got a lot of bookings for the following summer but that wouldn't have solved the immediate problems of the debts and how to feed the horses over the winter. I understood there was some kind of sponsorship deal but then the video was shot in a field with not an advertising banner in sight so I'm not sure how that worked. But then logic was in short supply throughout the movie, from the whole 'Olympic letter' thing onwards. The posh girl said right at the beginning 'but I only ride {name of horse I've forgotten} and then later on she claimed to have ridden Orion for years in the woods! Still, it looked like a nice place, and I guess if you are a ten year old girl who loves ponies but knows nothing about them then this movie might be fun to watch.