RIDE LIKE A GIRL

DIRECTOR Rachel Griffiths

CAST Teresa Palmer, Sam Neill, Sullivan Stapleton, Magda Szubanski, Sophia Forrest with an emotional true story that saddles up on the modern feminist zeitgeist to tell its story of a female jockey sticking it to the man in the machismo fuelled sport which is a boys club on every level, from those who train the horses to those who ride them. Against adversity and serious injury, Michelle Payne (a touching and genuine performance from Teresa Palmer), became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, telling all who doubted her ability to “get stuffed” on national television in the process.

PLOT The uplifting story of jockey Michelle Payne (Teresa Palmer), the youngest of 10 children brought up by single father Paddy (Sam Neill), who became the first woman to ever win the prestigious Melbourne Cup in 2015 after overcoming a serious fall that saw her put into an induced coma.

FOR A RACE that stops the nation, the Melbourne Cup has not been a prolific source of cinematic inspiration for Australian filmmakers. And a quick glance at the form of previous runners reveals why. While rare winners like director Simon Wincer’s beloved Phar Lap have won audience favour, lame nags like The Cup, starring Steven Curry, often stumbled past the finish post.

Now Ride Like A Girl steps onto the track

The feature debut from actor-turneddirector Rachel Griffiths, the Muriel’s Wedding star who previously cut her teeth behind the camera shooting episodes of the Aussie teen drama Nowhere Boys, Ride Like A Girl is a handsomely mounted biopic following Michelle’s life from an early age. As the film informs us, Michelle’s mother Mary died in a motor vehicle accident when she was six months old, leaving her father Paddy, played with typical stoic ease by Sam Neill, to raise their 10 children on his own. A family steeped in the equestrian life, they live and breathe for their horses, Michelle never knowing a life when she didn’t want to be a jockey.

In a delightful touch, Michelle’s brother Stevie, who has Down syndrome, is played by the real Stevie. A much loved face on the racing circuit, he was a highly regarded strapper (looking after the horses and saddling them for track-work and races), his performance adds an authenticity and a beautiful poignancy to his scenes with his on-screen sister. It’s genuinely affecting, as is the torn relationship between Michelle and her father. Not so successful is the comedy casting of Magda Szubanski as Michelle’s religious former teacher, especially when the nuns head down to the TAB to make a bet and are seen cheering on the race. The reactions of her family to Michelle’s big win as they watch the race on the television or listen to it on the radio should have had emotions swelling, but by inserting such clichéd broad stroke comedy the emotion of such a momentous event is dissipated.

What they do get right are the races themselves. The tension before the race starts, the thunder of the track, the hustle and bustle as the riders shout abuse at each other and jostle for pole position. Deftly using archive news footage to heighten the realism, especially during the Cup, they add a grit sometimes missing from the rest of the film.

DAVID MICHAEL BROWN

Verdict

An often moving and beautifully shot sport biopic blessed with a wonderful central performance from Teresa Palmer, Ride Like A Girl is occasionally hindered by cliché but makes a winning dash for the finish line.