Virginia's Run (2002)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Peter Markle

Writers (WGA):

Valarie Trapp (written by) and
Peter Markle (written by)

Release Date:

18 October 2002 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

Two sisters. One remarkable adventure that will bring them together.

Plot:

A teenage girl, trying to come to grips with the death of her mother in a horse-riding accident, nurtures the foal of her mother's horse. |

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Horse Riding | Father Daughter Relationship | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gabriel Byrne	...	Ford Lofton
Joanne Whalley	...	Jessie Eastwood
Lindze Letherman	...	Virginia Lofton
Kevin Zegers	...	Darrow Raines
Rachel Skarsten	...	Caroline Lofton
Robert Miranda	...	Blake Raines (as Robert Guy Miranda)
Jeremy Akerman	...	Huntington Crane
Jocelyn Cunningham	...	Lydia
Adrien Labrecque	...	Joel
John Dunsworth	...	Cop
Thomas Gibson	...	Rick
Andrew Thomson	...	Doctor
Gary Levert	...	Veterinarian
Lee Phillips	...	Wrangler Lee
Jessica Christie	...	Melissa

Also Known As:

La chevauchée de Virginie (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for reckless behavior and language.

Runtime:

103 min | Netherlands:101 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 | USA:PG | Germany:6 | Canada:G (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Jordan Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Hokey but enjoyable family film.

O.K. you can see the plot twists coming a mile way but the film ends up being a pleasant experience and a notch better than the usual 'girl and her horse movie' mainly because of the superior production. There is some beautiful Nova Scotia scenery and many shots of galloping horses to delight the horse lovers.

The acting is generally good although Gabriel Byrne's mind seems elsewhere and he tends to mumble his lines and that, with his Irish accent makes him difficult to understand sometimes. The two young girls playing his daughters however bear the brunt of the film and they are both excellent and pretty. There is sentiment in the movie but it never gets maudlin. The scene where the girls reminisce about their dead mother is genuinely moving.

The lengthy final endurance horse race is well done and the suspense is maintained until the end as the bad guys (more jerks than anything else)try their skullduggery to stop Virginia from race. The kids will love it when one of them gets his comeuppance in that old cliche - the horse trough.

There in nothing scary for the kids and when the film is over you are left with a nice warm feeling, which is the way this type of film should leave you.