Buck

Buck is a movie to be revisited again and again, like passages from a satisfying self-help book. Riding experience isn't necessary to realize how extraordinary this man and his calling are.

Meehl, in her directing debut, is attuned to the rhythms of Buck, who's attuned to the horses.

The character who emerges in the breezy, somewhat meandering Buck is plain-spoken, heartfelt, compassionate, witty, and wise. His horse-training technique is based on understanding the psychology of animals and on attuning his human and equine clients with one another.

Soft-spoken and stoical, Brannaman is a firm but sensitive presence in front of the camera and facing down a spooked horse.

Possibly the touchy-feeliest cowboy movie ever made.

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.

Life lessons abound in Buck, most of them tied to endlessly reiterated comparisons between man and horse.

A truly inspiring emotional movie about a fascinating individual. Pulls at the heartstrings without pandering and is a nice little piece of Americana as well.

I thought the movie was very real. Because it was real, it said a lot about the frailties of humans, even the frailties of Buck. Beautiful horses, great characters, good cinematography.

A good documentary is entertaining, educational, informative and usually makes you leave the theater thinking long after the movie has ended. While many documentaries have a political or moral stance, it is the rare documentary that fulfills all of the criteria for a good documentary, yet really has no purpose other than to enlighten. "Buck," is the documentary of real-life horse whisperer Buck Brannaman, his path to the life he chose, the lessons he learned as a child and how he took the right path as an adult in spite of his past. "Buck" was timely for me as it represented what is in my heart at the moment. Wanting to enjoy each moment as they come. Not dwell on the past. Turn the negative things that have happened to me into positive things for the future. While the documentary did serve to tell Buck's story, as well as give insight into the amazing work he does as a horse trainer, it did much more. It displayed immense insight into fatherhood, parenting, patience and living for the positive things in our short lives. While watching, I frequently thought of my estranged father-in-law, whom I believe would love this movie. Not only as a father, but also as a love for the roots of what makes a good cowboy. "Buck" is a beautifully shot film with a captivating, heartwarming, as well as heartbreaking, story. I couldn't encourage seeing it more.

Although Buck may not appeal to most people (that goes for me too), this short documentary demonstrated that it deserves the title of "unexpected treat". The story itself is not very rich or elaborate, but Buck Brannaman's analogies and his real life story are enough to steal anyone's heart. "Horses are incredibly forgiving. They fill in places we're not capable of filling ourselves." ~Buck.

Buck is someone we all should learn from, and a remarkable man. This movie doesn't quite do him justice. Unfortunately, this movie could have been culled down into an hour tv documentary and probably have been just as good. The producers may have borrowed from Buck a little too much and failed to plum the depths of the man, instead merely letting us hear a whisper of him.