Have you ever heard of team penning? Ever seen a movie about it? That's the horse event Every Second Counts centers around. Joe Preston, a promising penner in his youth, was forced to quit at an early age when he was injured in a competition. Now, his dream is for his seventeen-year-old daughter, Brooke, to become a champion.
Brooke loves her horse, Ginger and enjoys competing, but she is torn between wanting her dad to be proud of her and her desire to become a veterinarian.
Brooke's mother works at a convenience store. And when Joe, a mechanic, is fired from his job, the financial pressure increases. The family's home is about to be foreclosed on. Joe loses sight for a while of what is best for Brooke and what she wants. He views a penning championship as a way out of their financial difficulty, causing stress between him, his wife, and daughter.
Brooke is a likeable character, not the typical bratty teen of many movies. Despite some of Joe's shortcomings, the family sticks together and works through the problems.
I'm not familiar with team penning, so I'm not sure how realistically that event was displayed. Despite the rating warning, I didn't hear any bad language.
Brooke tutors a star player on the football team, Caden, in biology. They kiss twice. Overall, the movie is pretty family friendly.
My Rating for the Movie: 3
Equine Realism: 3
MPAA Rating: PG
Time (minutes): 88
Year: 2008
