Dream Horse
Bleecker Street Media | Release Date: May 21, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 19, 2021
We can see every plot point rounding the turn long before the finish line, but that’s OK, because we’re having a (dare I say it) jolly grand time every step of the way. Read full review
83
Original-CinLiam LaceyAug 6, 2021
Welsh director Euros Lyn’s reality-based steeple-chasing feature Dream Horse never deviates far from the expected course. But its off-kilter humour and an ace cast, led by the ever-credible Toni Collette, brings some fresh colours to this unabashed crowd pleaser. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 3, 2021
This movie gets a real gallop on, due to the sheer warmth of its performances. Read full review
80
ABC NewsPeter TraversMay 21, 2021
Sure it’s hokey, but this fact-based crowdpleaser starring a terrific Toni Collette as a struggling Welsh villager who risks everything on a racehorse she breeds and raises is an underdog story that works like a charm. Read full review
75
Paste MagazineNatalia KeoganJun 10, 2021
A propensity for conventional cinematic formulas aside, Dream Horse thrives as a pleasing drama that keeps the story compelling and showcases talented actors in refreshingly wholesome roles. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 21, 2021
It’s a movie whose winning warmth, plucky “up from nothing” story and genteel rowdiness are infectious. But its glory is in another gem of performance from Toni Collette. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattMay 20, 2021
A quirky bootstraps narrative of improbable small-town ambition and extremely regional accents designed not to rush its modest, affable charms. Read full review
75
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMay 19, 2021
Dream Horse hits its stride off the track, where the paint-by-numbers drama of winning and losing takes a backseat to a more nuanced tale about the need to get back in the race. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 19, 2021
Dream Horse is full of heart and interest. Throughout, Collette makes us believe in the human-animal connection between Jan and Dream Alliance, which is touching, mysterious and deep. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshMay 19, 2021
There’s enough good humor and just a dash of vinegar to temper the tone from becoming too treacly or sentimental, though the triumphant moments are incredibly effective and moving. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineMark JenkinsMay 17, 2021
After watching this Welsh racehorse drama, even those of us who’d struggle to pronounce the word may find ourselves feeling a bit of hwyl. Read full review
70
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerAug 5, 2021
This is a small, sentimental and straightforward film that offers little in the way of surprises. Instead, it wins on heart and a simple message about the value in fighting to keep one’s dreams alive. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMay 20, 2021
The new film, playing in theaters, devotes itself more obviously to making us feel good, but it succeeds. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMay 20, 2021
This sports underdog story, which is based on true events, has several features endemic to the genre. But Dream Horse, an unabashed crowd-pleaser directed by Euros Lyn, earns its smiles and cheers. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 19, 2021
The authenticity that Collette brings to a woman desperate for some kind of change and the willingness to seek it is inspiring. She’s the real winner here. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonFeb 1, 2020
Director Euros Lyn overdoes the feel-good trappings, but it’s hard to deny the genuine sentiment that the movie stirs up. Read full review
70
SlashfilmBen PearsonFeb 1, 2020
The script doesn’t add anything new to the sports movie formula – you can see every major plot development coming from the stratosphere – but Lyn’s execution of those ideas powers the movie through its predictable plotting. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyFeb 1, 2020
This is a well-cast, artfully handled effort that exercises sufficient restraint to really earn its requisite laughter and tears. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinFeb 1, 2020
Like horse racing, filmmaking is a high-risk gamblers' game, but the team behind Dream Horse, the resulting dramatization of the Vokes' story, have surely bred a winner with this endearing, determinedly crowd-pleasing adaptation. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzMay 21, 2021
There's nothing about this kind of film that is innately less "formulaic" than what you get when see a Marvel, Star Wars, or Fast & Furious movie; it's just gentler and more human-scaled. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 19, 2021
Collette certainly brings spirit and character to this project, elevating the film, although Dream is not her best or most interesting work. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrMay 19, 2021
Dream Horse is a very nice movie, about very nice people, but nice is rarely enough, and thank goodness Toni Collette knows that. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Simran HansJun 6, 2021
With its hero’s journey structure, punchily edited racing scenes and warmly drawn oddball community (a widow, Maureen, is obsessed with Tunnock’s Tea Cakes), the film is shamelessly predictable and thoroughly feelgood. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinJun 4, 2021
There’s fun to be had here of an undemanding sort – but anything fresh, or memorable, or remotely unexpected? Neigh, neigh and thrice neigh. Read full review
60
EmpireIan FreerJun 3, 2021
Dream Horse is predictable and manipulative to a fault but, sparked by Toni Collette, there is a strong sense of sincerity and commitment to the subject matter that helps it across the finishing line. Read full review
60
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanMay 20, 2021
Euros Lyn’s heartwarming Dream Horse doesn’t rewrite the genre, but it’s feel-good filmmaking of the sort many may be inclined to seek out at the moment. Although overly familiar and openly sentimental, it’s also an easy watch that’s gently appealing. Read full review
58
The PlaylistAsher LubertoJun 1, 2021
It’s light, sweetly frisky, and warmly inspiring, with a lead performance from Toni Colette keeping things on track. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMay 19, 2021
The film avoids every potential area of deeper interest: the economic conditions in Jan’s tiny ex-coal-mining community; the mid-to-late 2000s period setting; any nitty-gritty details about what it takes to train or race a steeplechase horse. Read full review
50
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiMay 25, 2021
The film attempts to deliver an emotional, compelling, and entertaining story, but it struggles with balance despite some lovely, uplifting moments. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfMay 19, 2021
Inspiring true story? Perhaps not, but certainly a story that’s genuine enough to earn a few smiles. Read full review
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