Robert Redford, who for the first time stars in a movie he's also directed, has taken this soap opera material and treated it like something inscribed on yak vellum by the Dalai Lama.
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
There are times when this leisurely movie seems so much in love with its own virtue and nobility that there's not much room left for the spectator.
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
It says something about this movie that Redford is at his most compelling playing opposite a nag.
50
San Francisco ExaminerWalter Addiego
San Francisco ExaminerWalter Addiego
The film finally seems to stagger under the weight of its own significance.
It's nothing more than a very long movie about someone, literally and metaphorically, having to get back up on a horse.
40
SalonStephanie Zacharek
SalonStephanie Zacharek
The Horse Whisperer is just the latest example of tab-A-into-slot-B moviemaking to come out of Hollywood, a weeper that's built according to a solid set of rules.