Flicka 2 (2010)

Directed by: Michael Damian | 87 minutes | drama, family | Actors: Patrick Warburton, Tammin Sursok, Emily Tennant, Clint Black, Reilly Dolman, Ted Whittall, Dwayne Wiley, Craig Stanghetta

‘Flicka 2′ is a good and slightly dull film about the rebellious girl Carrie (Tammin Sursok) who lives with her grandmother in Pittsburgh and likes to have fun with her skateboard. When Grandma gets confused, youth care is no longer allowed to take care of her and Carrie suddenly ends up on the farm of her dour father Hank (Patrick Warburton). He has not seen her since she was in diapers, after he separated from Carrie’s now deceased mother and does not know how to deal with this situation. His ranch on the vast plains of Wyoming is miles away from the life Carrie was used to. At first she misses the city, her friends and the fact that she has no mobile coverage. Then she encounters the wild mustang Flicka and then the handsome Jake (Reilly Dolman). Of course there is also an intrigue around the corner, in the person of the arrogant Amy (Emily Tennant), whose father HD Walkers (Ted Whittal) also owns a ranch. Flicka ends up in the hands of the Walkers through a far-fetched plot line, which doesn’t bode well for Flicka’s future.

Although the film is categorized in the “family film” genre on imdb.com and is undoubtedly suitable for young and old, the film clearly targets one target group: the teenage girls who love horses. In that respect, ‘Flicka 2’ is nothing new: it is a typical film for girls who love horses, and dozens of them have been made over the years. From ‘Black Beauty’, ‘National Velvet’ to ‘The Black Stallion’ and of course its direct predecessor, also called ‘Flicka’ first.

The title is literally the Swedish word for “girl” and originally comes from Mary O’Hara’s book “My Friend Flicka”. The first film from 2006 and a TV series ‘My Friend Flicka’ from the years 1955-1956 are based on this. Predictability is key in this film and every plot development is announced miles in advance and follows all the clichés of such types of films. Screenwriter Jennifer Robinson may have taken a scriptwriting course and follows the standard step-by-step plan for a straightforward story, ticking every box. Brutal big city girl enters new territory, befriends horse, falls in love with tough but also sweet boy and then gets entangled in difficulties and setbacks. You don’t need foresight to predict the rest of the film’s course. And so everything just goes on and on. The developments need not worry anyone who is even remotely familiar with the genre, which takes away a large part of the charm of a film like ‘Flicka 2’.

Sursok has a pretty nice lead role and her character, like that of father Hank and Hank’s assistant Toby (country singer Clint Black), is still somewhat developed, although nothing special should be expected there either. The rest of the cast has little to do except to fill up the sparse story and image. The image filling is fine though: there are beautiful nature shots – especially from the air – to be seen. Yet the viewer is somewhat cheated here: the film was shot in British Columbia, Canada. Thoroughly recommended for lovers of equestrian films and a not too demanding and critical audience.