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Arts & Entertainment

Greenbelters Review 'Buck'

Sheila Maffay-Tuthill and Mark Stenson weigh in with two very different views on "Buck," playing at the Old Greenbelt Theatre through Thursday, Aug. 11.

Welcome Patch's Tugwell Theatre Group, where local movie buffs share their thoughts about films at the . With four pops being the best rating a movie can grab, find out how popcorn-worthy your neighbors deem this week's show.

SHEILA MAFFAY-TUTHILL

Three pops (plus a soda): ☼☼☼ + 1 soda

Buck's secret for making horses calm and obedient is linked to his past as a frightened child.  Realizing how similarly a sensitive young horse feels if his handler isn't gentle and considerate, gives Buck a kinship with the animals and allows him to connect on a level others can't or won't.

MARK STENSON
Two pops: ☼☼
 

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Although the documentary tells an uplifting story about an even more inspiring man — a story everyone should know and learn — sadly it does not reflect it as well as it could. Instead it becomes repetitive, and consequently, tiresome. Still horse lovers might enjoy the film’s inspiration and learn new ways to teach their horses from it.

Read full reviews below.

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SHEILA MAFFAY-TUTHILL REVIEW

"Buck" is a touching and worthwhile documentary about an accomplished horse trainer who actually was an inspiration for the film "The Horse Whisperer.” This real life story of Buck Brannaman is mellow and charming, and after a very pleasant couple of hours pass — he feels a lot like a friend. 

Buck's life started pretty rough, with an abusive father who demanded perfection from Buck and his brother while they created a name for themselves as rodeo rope-trick performers. When the family loses their mother, things get even worse until the boys are finally rescued and sent to a foster home.

Buck's secret for making horses calm and obedient is linked to his past as a frightened child.  Realizing how similarly a sensitive young horse feels if his handler isn't gentle and considerate, gives Buck a kinship with the animals and allows him to connect on a level others can't or won't. 

He is a very kind character, who is also strong and humble. The viewer learns a lot about horses and the people that love them, plus the scenery is spectacular. This movie a real pleasure to watch and meaty enough to keep your interest — you will be glad to have taken a journey with this cowboy.

MARK STENSON REVIEW

“Buck” tells the inspiring documentary story of Buck Brannaman, a horse trainer with a tortured past and a different training method. The 1995 Nicholas Evans novel was based on Brannaman, the “horse whisperer.” He also served as consultant on the 1998 Robert Redford film adaptation.

Led by first time filmmaker Cindy Meehl, the film crew follows Buck around the United States as he teaches his revolutionary four-day horse training classes for 40 weeks out of the year.

The system he uses is extremely effective yet not painful for the horses like traditional training. “A lot of the time I’m not helping people with horse problems. I’m helping horses with people problems,” Buck explains.

Buck’s personal experience enables him to relate to the tortured animals he helps. When growing up, he and his brother were child prodigies around horses. But instead of encouraging them for their natural ability, his alcoholic, perfectionist father abused them with whips and harsh beatings, trying to heighten their abilities.

Buck breaks the cycle of abuse, deciding to be a more caring person to his family, as he embraces his horse-loving daughter and the horses he trains – serving as an inspiration for others to go against the flow and turn their lives around.

Unfortunately, the story falls flat for me because it has been seen and heard before. Brannaman loses the audience by repeatedly mentioning the same tortured past and methods — as well as repeating footage from his classes, which gets tiresome after a while.  

The only truly amazing and jaw dropping moment occurs when Buck attempts to train a “predator stud” horse. It lunges at a trainer, who escapes with a bloody forehead. But, later that same day, Buck manages to get the horse into a trailer without touching it.

The footage is not put together as cohesively as it should have been, making the story muddled in a way. While the director interviewed many people, including various horse trainers and Robert Redford — making a very interesting segment — it did not interview Buck’s brother. The film didn’t even explain his absence, which creates a huge gaping hole in the film and made me question Buck’s past a little.

Although the documentary tells an uplifting story about an even more inspiring man — a story everyone should know and learn — sadly it does not reflect it as well as it could. Instead it becomes repetitive, and consequently, tiresome. Still horse lovers might enjoy the film’s inspiration and learn new ways to teach their horses from it.

The film is not compelling enough for non-horse fans, though, as its story grows stale and is too weakly developed to hold attention throughout its entire length. I give this lackluster film two pops out of four.

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