Flicka

Based on a novel by Mary O’Hara, Flicka follows a rebellious teen (Alison Lohman’s Katy McLaughlin) as she befriends a wild stallion over the course of one particularly eventful summer – much to the chagrin of her old-fashioned and overly protective father (Tim McGraw’s Rob). Though filmmaker Michael Mayer effectively peppers the proceedings with a number of striking sequences (eg Flicka runs through a herd of quarter-horses and leads them on a chase), Flicka suffers from a pervasively inauthentic atmosphere that’s ultimately exacerbated by the underwhelming performances and almost unreasonably sluggish pace. In terms of the former, Lohman proves utterly unable to convincingly step into the shoes of a free-spirited young girl – with the actress’ advanced age ensuring that Katy, rather than possessing the countenance of a typically ebullient teenager, primarily comes off as a dangerously obsessive and emotionally unbalanced figure (ie her fixation on the title creature is nothing short of baffling and it subsequently becomes awfully difficult not to side with her father on the issue). Likewise, McGraw’s less-than-competent work sticks out like a sore thumb amidst a surprisingly strong supporting cast that includes Maria Bello, Dallas Roberts, and Ryan Kwanten (with the latter’s turn as Katy’s older brother providing the film with one its few intriguing subplots). And although the movie does improve slightly as it enters its unexpectedly eventful third act, Flicka‘s inability to hold the viewer’s interest for more than a few minutes at a time inevitably cements its place as an entirely needless piece of work.

** out of ****