Moondance Alexander

If you've already seen "Black Beauty," "National Velvet" or "My Friend Flicka," you might want to take a pass on "Moondance Alexander," a wan girl-and-her-horse saga that doesn't even have the energy or conviction to rise above its own clichés.

Moondance is a ninth-grade social outcast who finds meaning and purpose in life when she spends the summer taking care of and learning to ride a horse owned by a cantankerous but lovable Pygmalion played by Don Johnson (think of it as an equine version of "My Fair Lady," minus the songs and quality). The first credibility obstacle we have to overcome is accepting the spunky and attractive Moondance as a girl who can't find herself a single friend (well, the two-legged type anyway).

The paint-by-numbers screenplay comes replete with a miraculous horse healing, a bevy of Valley Girl elitists straight out of Central Casting, and a horse-jumping competition that has all the drama and suspense of a Tiddlywinks tournament in Oshkosh.

Ah well, at least the movie boasts, in the person of Kay Panabaker, a young actress with a great deal of charm and potential. And, besides, where else are you going to hear a line like, "Moondance, I want you to take Checkers over to the stables," if not in this film? Surely, that ought to count for something, don't you think?

I found this flick by accident while looking for something else. I saw the cast and decided it was worth a look. I'm not a horse person, and I like some sports movies, and I do like offbeat stories. While I normally like action sometimes I just want to relax and enjoy a good family movie. This would be a great flick for kids on a rainy afternoon, or if you just want to relax and enjoy a sweet story. It has it's flaws but they're not enough to turn me off. Worth a look.

This is a very good family movie I enjoy the characters the actors are good. I enjoy watching horses. I really like Don Johnson in these wholesome family movies I think he's good at them. I wish she had made more. I believe this is something you can enjoy relax and not worry about language and all that other stuff it's a good family movie. This movie has good scenery. Don Johnson is I think a good actor in these types of films. I like him better in these types then Miami Vice that I just couldn't get into. Now it's telling me why review is just too short so I'm adding some words. Not sure if this is a Hallmark movie but you could consider it a Hallmark movie.

I've got to say, this is one of my favorite horse movies out there. It shows the tale of a different and quirky girl meeting a different and quirky horse who just want to fit in a little more. It also shows that sometimes being different is the best way to fit in- something almost no other horse movie shows. The only things that I don't really like is that at first, Moondance clearly doesn't know much about horses but yet still knows how to ride and knows some of the terms (example: "forelock"). I also thought it was a bit of a cliché to make the very girls who bully her at school also her rivals in the horse world. But it's a beautiful movie, so it doesn't really matter. This cute little movie is unfortunately underrated and I can't figure out why. It shows that being different is okay and you can do your own thing and I love the way it shows the magical connection that there should be between a horse and rider. The fact that this movie is based on a true story is even more magical. It tugged at my heartstrings. All the actors also suited their characters very well and were great at playing them. I couldn't imagine this movie any other way. If you're looking for a horse movie that's something a bit different with a moral, look no further!

Loved the look of the movie, beautiful shots, wonderful characters, actors seemed fine. I'm not much of a horse person, so with me that doesn't carry the movie. Movie was the right length, not too long. The script was just so poorly written, I'd find myself wincing at the dialog. Character names were strange also (Gelsey, Moondance?), as if the author was "putting on airs". The makeup on the young actress bothered me also. First, she's a child and second, she's working in a stable and riding a horse. Those aren't activities where someone would normally be so made up and certainly not a child. If you're looking for a family movie with an interesting story (based on a true story), maybe about second chances, then this would be a good pick.