192. Lean On Pete; movie review

LEAN ON PETE
Cert 15
122 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language and brief strong violence

It really is fascinating to watch a film of which I have absolutely no knowledge.
In the early stages of Andrew Haigh's Lean On Pete I was expecting it to become a cross between National Velvet and Secretariat.
In other words, there would be a battle against adversity, followed by an unfancied nag becoming a national hero.
Err... no. This is a movie about a young man's painful voyage of discovery with a backdrop of poverty and tragedy.
Charlie Plummer plays Charley Thompson, a quiet 15-year-old, who lives with his loving but erratic and virtually penniless father (Travis Fimmel).
He seeks some work at a nearby racehorse stables and is taken on by the wizened profanity-laden owner and trainer (Steve Buscemi) of a handful of low-grade runners.
Almost immediately, Charley falls for an unloved horse called Lean On Pete and tries to nurture him to success without to much encouragement from his owner or even his jockey (Chloë Sevigny),
Lean On Pete is a side of America rarely seen in the movies - with its characters eking a down-at-heel existence in the middle of nowhere.
Plummer excels in the role as a mixed-up teenager who seeks love wherever he can find it and discovers it in a battered up horse.
However, because he is young, naive and scared he makes wrong decision after wrong decision becoming ever more befuddled over which adult he should trust.
Buscemi's may be a low-key role as the world-weary owner/trainer but he is always good value and this is no exception.
There are some startlingly good moments in Lean On Pete but every time one occurred I was left more and more perplexed about where the film would lead.
Ultimately, it meant the conclusion left me dissatisfied which is why I have not rated it higher.

Reasons to watch: A compelling tragedy in remote America
Reasons to avoid: Its conclusion did not match the quality of the rest of the movie

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - Andrew Haigh: "I just fell in love with the novel. I love the story of Charley and I fell in love with that journey of his and that struggle that he was having."

The big question - Can a 15-year-old really fall through the net so easily in the US?

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