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RIDE LIKE A GIRL

STARS: Teresa Palmer, Sam Neill, Sullivan Stapleton DIRECTOR: Rachel Griffiths RATING: PG

REVIEWER: Vicky Roach VERDICT: 3.5/5 stars

RACHEL Griffiths directs this handsome biopic about Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne with a steady hand – and one eye on the finish line.

The lack of sentimentality with which the actor-turned-director recounts Payne’s triumph-over-extraordinary-odds will no doubt meet the approval of its gutsy subject, but it also serves the audience well.

Griffiths’ clear intention, with this inspirational drama, is to pay tribute to Payne’s unparalleled athletic feat, but in so doing, she doesn’t gloss over the controversies – such as the jockey’s tendency to test her limits on the track (which resulted in another, 15-meeting suspension for careless riding earlier this year).

The first-time feature director also gives an appropriate weight to Payne’s painful rift with her father, Paddy (Sam Neill), but this is conveyed as much by what is left unsaid as it is in the actual dialogue, and that seems entirely appropriate for the characters involved.

All of which adds up to a contemporary piece of mythmaking, told in an authentic Australian vernacular.

Ride Like a Girl portrays Payne as plucky, determined, and, well, driven to the point of obsession.

Teresa Palmer steps into her character’s stirrups with courage and commitment.

She is supported by Payne’s real-life brother, Stevie, who has Down syndrome – no other actor could have done the role justice.

It would be hard to go wrong with this story, but Griffiths gives it just the right amount of rein.