SECRETARIAT
O happy day for an inspiring true story.
Should You Watch It?
SECRETARIAT is a rare sports drama that makes a familiar true story feel suspenseful. The races are exciting even when you know the outcome, and Penny Tweedy’s determination gives the film a strong emotional center.
The movie’s greatest strength is its openly Christian inspiration. References to God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and God’s will support its themes of perseverance, family, self-sacrifice, honoring parents, free enterprise, and individual initiative. Its joyful ending is the kind that can leave a family encouraged.
There are mild obscenities and vulgarities, brief references to racetrack betting, and a subplot involving the pacifist, socialist peace movement of the Vietnam era. Those concerns do not seriously diminish the film’s power. For an uplifting family viewing choice, SECRETARIAT is worth the trip.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESWhen Penny Tweedy’s mother dies, Penny returns with her family to her father’s struggling horse farm in Virginia. Her father is ill, her brother wants to sell, and her husband is concerned about the estate taxes.
But Penny understands the farm’s dream. Drawing on the knowledge she learned from her father, she sees promise in a colt and joins forces with a new trainer, a faithful stable hand, and her father’s middle-aged secretary. Together, they pursue an unlikely future for a remarkable horse.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is one of the year’s best and most inspiring films. The script is especially strong: although the audience knows the historical outcome, the movie builds enough suspense to make each race feel uncertain.
The direction can occasionally be a little on the nose, and some dialogue is soft. Still, the film is stirring and joyful, with a sublimely powerful ending that plays like a spiritual experience. Its true-story foundation, exciting races, and emotional performances make SECRETARIAT a memorable success.
The Worldview
SECRETARIAT presents a clear Christian and biblical worldview. It invokes God’s will throughout the story, includes positive references to Jesus in song, quotes Scripture, and uses the Book of Job as a connecting theme. The horse itself becomes a picture of God’s magnificent creation.
The film upholds honoring parents, doing the right thing, willing self-sacrifice, and pursuing a worthy calling. It also celebrates free enterprise, individual initiative, American values, patriotism, and the American flag as symbols that can bring disparate people together.
The movie includes some lighter Romantic, politically correct, feminist, and socialist elements. Penny’s daughter becomes involved in the pacifist, socialist peace movement of the Vietnam era, while family discord grows around the farm and Penny’s pursuit of success sometimes comes at the expense of her family. These elements are present but not oppressive, and they do not overwhelm the film’s central inspiration.
The film’s wonder at creation recalls God’s own question: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4). SECRETARIAT answers with awe at the strength and beauty of what God has made.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong Christian, biblical, moral, capitalist worldview overall with overt mention of Jesus, overt references to a passage the Book of Job that provides the movie’s connecting theme, overt songs about Jesus, including one that energizes and supports the movie’s climactic inspiration, extensive quoting from Scripture, specific references to God, willing self-sacrifice, honoring one’s father, daughter ultimate honors mother, with very strong pro-capitalist, pro American, patriotic values extolling free enterprise, individual success and the American flag that brings disparate people together and some light Romantic, politically correct, feminist, socialist elements (but not oppressive) such as a side plot where heroine’s daughter gets caught up in pacifist, socialist peace movement during the Vietnam era and son tells mother at one point that father complained about it being “Commie crap” and mother honors her father’s dreams and pursues success at the expense sometimes of her family; six lightweight obscenities and vulgarities such as two “h” words, the word “crap” is used once, and the word “butt” is said three times, horse urinates on reporter’s foot, and light, untranslated cursing and insults in French; very light violence includes jockey appears bruised and bloody after race, footage of jockey fallen off his horse, horse rears up and scares people, talk about horse possibly biting people’s hands, and Bible passage mentions fearless strength and power of horses in battle; no sex; no nudity; alcohol use, mostly in background, but one toast; no smoking; and, prejudice against women, bragging, man seems to mistreat stable hand, references to racetrack betting, and family discord over estate.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Penny honors her father’s dream even when others do not understand it. How can you honor your parents while also making wise decisions of your own?
Ephesians 6:2–3 · Proverbs 1:5The film celebrates perseverance when success seems unlikely. Where do you need patience and courage right now?
Galatians 6:9 · Hebrews 12:1Penny’s pursuit of the farm sometimes creates family discord. How can ambition become unhealthy, and how can your family pursue meaningful work without neglecting one another?
Matthew 6:33 · 1 Timothy 5:8The film finds wonder in the strength and beauty of a horse. What does creation teach us about its Creator?
Job 38:4 · Psalm 19:1The Final Word
SECRETARIAT is stirring, joyful, and unusually open about faith in God, Jesus Christ, Scripture, and biblical values. Its mild language and other concerns are real but limited. For older children through adults, this inspiring true story is WORTH THE TRIP.
