Review of "And They're Off"

“And They’re Off” is a mockumentary style comedy starring Sean Astin that saw a limited theatrical release in the fall of 2011. It is being released on DVD, iTunes, video on demand, etc., on May 1, 2012. This review is based on an online preview made available to me by producer Howard Bolter last fall. Thank you, Howard, for the opportunity!

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As the movie opens, we’re introduced to Dusty Sanders (Sean Astin), a down-on-his-luck race horse trainer who’s being filmed for a horse racing documentary. He’s just lost a horse in a claiming race to [real life] trainer Doug O’Neill.

“Even at 1100 pounds, these horses are like my children,” Dusty tells the film crew earnestly before saying a tearful goodbye to the horse. It’s no surprise Dusty doesn’t do well. His unconventional training methods include showing inspirational videos to his horses and relying on advice from a Feng Shui master on stall arrangements. Why would someone be making a documentary about an incompetent trainer? Not clear, but apparently another film crew is following a successful trainer as well.

Meanwhile, despite his sweet nature and eternal optimism—his catch phrase is There’s always tomorrow, it’s the day after today—Dusty’s luck isn’t improving. His girlfriend, temperamental jockey Dee (Cheri Oteri), has dumped him, and he loses the last two other horses in his stable. His father (Martin Mull), who has tried to be both father and mother to Dusty by wearing dresses and wigs, urges him to find another line of work as a taxidermist (at least he’d be working with animals). Dusty is finally reduced to running a pony ride concession for kids.

Of course, the story doesn’t end there, and a chance for redemption comes when four neophyte owners (Mark Moses, Gigi Rice, Peter Jacobson and Mo Collins) ask Dusty to train their horse, Caveat.

Like any good comedy mockumentary, the movie is full of wacky characters, off-beat dialog, non-sequiturs, inside jokes (Dusty’s favorite TV show is “Facts of Life,” which starred Sean’s real life brother Mackenzie Astin) and unlikely situations. It’s also peppered with plenty of cameos and name-dropping of famous horses, trainers (including a narcissistic Bob Baffert) , jockeys and race commentators for the racing enthusiast. The natural sweetness that Sean brings to many of his roles (Samwise, Mikey, Rudy, etc) is much in evidence here, but things might have turned out very differently for Middle-earth if Dusty had been Frodo’s companion! Still, while not the Kentucky Derby, “And They’re Off” shows that a simple county fair race can be just as fun and rewarding. :-)