In Hollywood, there is something commonly referred to as the “suspension of disbelief”. Mainly because every movie, regardless of how hard the script supervisor department works, will have errors. The best films have the errors you never notice. However, in a film as cliche and formulaic as Michael Mayer’s Flicka, it’s hard to keep your attention to the simple girl loves horse plot.

For one, what in the world is Alison Lohman doing here? After amazing work in Big Fish and Matchstick Men and even making weak efforts like Where The Truth Lies bearable (admittedly for more than her acting), she goes for a script with nothing for her to do but pout and cry. More importantly, she doesn’t get a chance to really grow up here. And for an actress that this year turned 28 years old, and mostly has played teens for her acting career, I wanna see that grown-up role.

I could argue the same thing for Maria Bello and Tim McGraw. Bello is a downright amazing actress with the right script, and one certainly without inhibitions. But I guess those indie movies where she bears her soul and her body don’t pay much, so good that she got a check. Meanwhile, McGraw I think has so much more potential. I actually thought he did great in Friday Night Lights and it’d be nice to see him dip for an indie flick maybe as he slows down his career. But here, it’s more or less him playing the cliche overbearing father.

Most importantly, it’s hard to see what anyone would see from a bad script by (among other projects) Superman IV writers Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner. And to answer the suspension of disbelief point, it’s kind of hard to concentrate on the script when the story’s just not engrossing. Instread I noticed Lohman is so obviously not 18 nor her brother of college age. Both look about 30 and judging from McGraw and Bello’s looks, their parents are playing the hottest 40 year-olds ever to grace a ranch in Wyoming. That just distracted me way too much.

But eh, if you like staring at horses for an hour and a half and don’t care that you’re seeing the same thing again, then watch it.