Buck 2011

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Much of the movie - too much of it - is just Buck in the corral, riding, working with ropes and flags, conditioning a horse to behave. Read more

James Rocchi, MSN Movies: ... a rare documentary as intellectually and philosophically rewarding as it is emotionally moving. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Holds your attention and heart for a tight 88 minutes. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: This film's effectively wrought communion between once-spooked man and animal is more than enough for any entertainment. It rides easily into your heart. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: It keeps you fascinated, even enthralled; elicits astonishment, even wonderment, and makes you grateful for the chance to meet someone remarkable. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Never has the special relationship between people and horses appeared more magnificent and even lyrical on film than in "Buck." Read more

Sam Adams, AV Club: Perhaps Brannaman's art is too subtle and instinctive to be captured on camera, but it's a shame Meehl doesn't do a better job of capturing exactly what makes him, by all accounts, a miraculously successful trainer. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The man's mythology precedes him, and it's the movie's failing that we don't understand how or whether he uses that mythology because he knows it's good business. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: It celebrates a communion between man and animal that runs deeper than any division. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The result is a portrait that expertly mirrors its subject: Buck is shaped with the same economy, restraint, and unfussiness as the man, to unexpectedly inspiring effect. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: This is going to sound corny, but here goes: "Buck" will make you want to be a better person. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Doc about the real-life Horse Whisperer holds fascination both inside and out of the corral. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: What a relief in times saturated with news of the worst of humanity to see something of the best. Read more

David Edelstein, NPR: It's well and good to hear Buck and others tell his story, but the film wouldn't come to much if you didn't feel the connection between his present and past in every frame. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Even if we can't live his cowboy life, Buck Brannaman's world is well worth visiting. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: I don't know why, but I just can't get all worked up over Dan (Buck) Brannaman, subject of the documentary "Buck." Read more

David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: Brannaman is a fascinating character, but Buck is so tightly focused that only avid horse lovers will find it appealing. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: What I was left with was the goodness of Buck Brannaman as a man. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A haunting, beautifully told tale about a genuine American original, who survived a childhood of violent abuse to become a leading figure in new-school horse training. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Documentaries have a wonderful way of making us care about people and things way outside our own experience, and "Buck" is a prime example. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: One of the most valuable things a film can do is to take you to a place or introduce you to a character you haven't encountered before. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Beautifully but simply wrought by director Cindy Meehl, this deft documentary is a poignant reappraisal of what it means to be human. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Cynics beware: Darned tootin', we're home on the range here, where seldom is heard a discouraging word and don't nobody be yappin' that Buck is too good to be true. Read more

Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine: Buck has the air of a beautiful little mystery; even knowing the uplifting outcome, you wonder at the strength that brought him to this place. Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: If you have even a passing interest in horses, you may find yourself smitten with this meditative doc. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Interviews with horse people, Brannaman's very funny, elderly stepmother and director Robert Redford help round out the doc, but all we really need is time with Brannaman, and Meehl doesn't disappoint. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: First feature for Cindy Meehl is confidently assembled, with attractive contributions from the two cinematographers and composer David Robbins. Read more

Mark Holcomb, Village Voice: Despite these odds, Brannaman grew into a preternaturally gentle adult who channels hard-earned patience and compassion into his work. Read more

John DeFore, Washington Post: You don't have to be a horse nut to fall for "Buck," one of those rare documentaries whose subject is so inherently fascinating that a fictional character could hardly compete. Read more