Heart Of A Champion (2023): Movie Review

If you are new to the world of horses, welcome aboard, and the heart of a champion is a great way to start your equestrian journey. This is a move that showcases the true bond between horses and humans. After all, these animals are not just for horse racing, but they are quite an important part of our history, and it is safe to say that we wouldn’t be here without them.

When it comes to horse movies, you can either get action action-packed show with incredible horse racing stories that will inspire you to find out how odds in horse racing work or a heartwarming family movie that shows the emotional and spiritual benefits of being around these animals.

Heart of a Champion leans towards the heartwarming genre, highlighting the bond between horses and humans.

Let’s find out what it is about.

The Story of the Heart of a Champion

The movie Heart of a Champion, just like most horse enthusiasts, tells the story of a little girl who wishes to own a horse. This straightforward story brings aspirations and passion to the table for the entire family to enjoy. 

YaYa Gosselin, the star of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl spin-off We Can Be Heroes, plays a young girl who is suffering with her family connections following a difficult divorce but distracts herself with her enthusiasm for horseback riding. 

They rescue a horse and educate it to ride with the assistance of her father’s best friend, played by Starship Troopers leader Casper Van Dien. Can she balance her new pastime with her familial obligations?

It depicts the journey of an honest guy navigating a shattered world, as well as the relationship between a girl and her horse. 

The film is full of exciting twists and turns and offers great production standards, but the seasoned performers who bring genuine reality to their flawed and realistic characters steal the show. 

The moral compass of Heart of a Champion is strong, stressing qualities such as honesty, persistence, purity, honor, and forgiveness.

The film begins with beautiful aerial shots of picturesque rural scenery and passionate orchestral music, although the rest of the film doesn’t include impressive scenes. We observe a pickup vehicle pulling a horse trailer, followed by a girl sprinting through beautiful forests on horseback. It turns out to be 14-year-old Charlie’s active imagination, whose daydreams are unexpectedly interrupted when her instructor calls on her in class.

Director and Cast

Heart of a Champion is an enjoyable, well-directed, and well-acted film. The characters are stereotyped, yet they are true to life, and the performers play their parts convincingly. Heart of a Champion has a strong moral worldview with redeeming virtues. It emphasizes integrity, hard effort, perseverance, excellent mentorship, purity, honor, doing the right thing, repentance, and forgiveness.

Brad Keller directed the film, and it is safe to assume that he has prior expertise with horses, having made A Horse Tale in 2015, which got much worse ratings than his new film.

Casper Van Dien and YaYa Gosselin portray the major characters in the film, which also stars Edward Furlong, Major Dodge Jr., Carson Cunningham, and others. The performance is fairly strong, with most of the actors doing an excellent job of making the film feel realistic.

Heart of a Champion also has a stunning horse in addition to Van Dien and Gosselin. Before passing judgment on this feature, it should be noted that the intended audience for this film has very low expectations. Little girls and their mothers will be pleased as long as it is nice and has several moments with the horse. This is an excellent Saturday afternoon movie for mothers to watch with their daughters. Heart of a Champion is a terrific movie experience for the casual viewer.

What is a good movie?

Heart of a Champion is a mediocre film in terms of execution. In every way, the plot is obnoxiously by-the-book. From the opening, you know precisely how this film will end. It’s not trying to confront anyone; it’s simply having a good time, which is OK. Throughout, the banter is cringe-worthy. 

The majority of the characters are dull. Lighting is frequently overexposed. The editing is pretty clumsy. The one redeeming element of the editing is that the film goes slightly under 90 minutes. Every proposed plot is completed in the most typical manner. There’s nothing unique about the way this film was shot, whatsoever.

However, in terms of plot, Heart of a Champion is an excellent family movie to enjoy on a lazy Sunday. There is nothing outstanding, yet the script and acting are sufficient to immerse you in the countryside.

So, whether you are a horse aficionado or someone who enjoys being around horses, watch Heart of a Champion on Amazon Prime. The film will most likely not leave you with a lasting memory, but it is a terrific feel-good film that you can watch casually.