Story
Flicka is a classic story about the relationship between a girl and a horse. It is loosely based on the story My Friend Flicka written by Mary O'Hara in 1941.
Sixteen-year-old Katy (Alison Lohman) lives on a big ranch in Wyoming. The film opens with her daydreaming through a history exam and ultimately failing the subject. She returns home and goes for an early morning ride, worried about telling her parents, particularly her father (Tim McGraw), about her failure. While out riding, Katy comes face to face with a beautiful black mustang.
From then on Katy is obsessed by this horse. Although banned from searching for it, she does so anyway. Her father eventually catches the horse and brings it back to the ranch. Although expressly forbidden to, Katy secretly tries to tame the horse, which she names Flicka. All seems to be going well until she is thrown off. Much to Katy's dismay and the dismay of the rest of her family, her father sells the horse. Katy then works out an elaborate plan with her brother (Ryan Kwanten) and his girlfriend (Kaylee de Fer) to get Flicka back.
Themes
Family conflict, teenage rebellion
Violence
There is no overt violence in this movie. There are, however, confrontations between various members of the family that involve yelling. Also there are rodeo scenes where riders fall off bulls and horses.
Sexual references
None
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There is some smoking and drinking in a bar scene.
Nudity and sexual activity
None
Product placement
Budweiser, Ford
Coarse language
This movie contains some mild coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Many children will enjoy Flicka, particularly girls who are interested in horses. One of the main messages in this movie is that you need to fight for what you love and that if you do, good things can happen.
You might wish to discuss with your children the values represented in this movie:
- trust in others
- the importance of family bonds
- taking responsibility for your actions
- standing up for what you believe in.
You might be concerned about the way Katy reaches her goal by continually doing the opposite of what her father wants and by the conflict that follows. If so, you could point out that there might be a more positive way for parents and children to resolve issues and still get a positive outcome.