Hoarse with the cheering
‘‘
Collette and her fellow cast members give us characters we can root for
Cert 12 ★★★★
AN EXCELLENT cast, heartpumping racing scenes and a wonderfully earthy script make this true story a dead cert to win over post-lockdown cinema audiences.
Muriel’s Wedding star Toni Collette plays Jan Vokes, the Co-op checkout worker who, with the help of a syndicate of locals, bred a racehorse on her Welsh village allotment.
“There is less than one per cent chance this horse will ever win a race,” says Damian Lewis’s investor as the good folk of Cefn Fforest pledge to take on billionaire breeders from across the world.but you don’t need to have seen the 2009 Welsh Grand National to know those odds will be upset when the film reaches its rousing final furlong.
Still, while it deviates little from the formula of The Full Monty and Brassed Off, its blend of heartfelt drama and humour is a powerful brew.
When we meet Jan, she is in desperate need of “something to look forward to”.
Her grown-up children have moved out, her husband Brian (Owen Teale) is jobless and she’s supplementing her Co-op wages with shifts at a working men’s club.
During a break from pulling pints, she overhears accountant Howard Davies (Damian Lewis) telling how a horse racing syndicate almost bankrupted him.
Jan then hits on an outrageous scheme to turn her life around.
“I’m going to breed a racehorse,” Jan tells her husband. “And I’m going to play fly-half for Wales!” replies an incredulous Brian.
After persuading her friends to commit to £10 a week, she buys a mare to breed a foal they call Dream Alliance.
Collette and her fellow cast members give us characters we can root for and director Euros Lyn backs it up with slick race action.
Such a rousing show of community spirit deserves a doorstep round of applause.