Parents' Guide to

Flicka 2

By Joly Herman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Touching horse story wrangles tough issue of loss.

Movie PG 2010 95 minutes
Flicka 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Nancy903
Nancy903 Adult
August 6, 2021
age 8+

Flicka 2 just as good as Flicka 1

Great family movie! I f you are a horse lover and owned your own horse you will love it! I enjoyed everything in the movie! Can’t wait to see the movie with my son! Loved the scenery and wild horses scenes! If I could rate it a 100 I would so I have to settle with 5! Funny my husband is not a horse lover or a horse rider like myself and he liked it! Stayed up for the whole movie he usually nods out! I found this movie by accident and I sure am glad I did! Looking forward to seeing Flicka 3! Must see movie!

This title has:

Great messages
southern aurora
southern aurora Adult
September 3, 2012
age 10+

Worthwhile

More a 3 and a half than a straight three rating, this movie manages to combine a modicum of urban edginess into the rural set plot which gives it an interesting sense of cultural divide. It suggests in fact more edginess than actually occurs, which will probably increase its appeal without offending many. Apart from one moderate kiss its a fairly chaste movie without any resort to strong language at all. Thematically it sets up some worthwhile parallels between the protagonist Carrie and the horse Flicka concerning freedom and acclimitization, set within the more general theme of loss and adjustment of both Carrie and her father. Acting is quite good with the main character showing an ability to depict Carrie's headstrong feistiness and her adaptation to focussing on the welfare of Flicka. She and her father both hold entrenched positions which (predictably) soften though the movie doesn't hurry this unduly (thankfully). The scenery shots are wonderful: from an Australian perspective it gives a good insight into a part of the United States not routinely depicted in the cinema, and lends the movie a sumptious spaciousness. One might cavil at the ending which looks to create various closures a little glibly - but the pre-ending ending, so to speak, a gesture of giving freedom despite loss and pain, is strong and moving.
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What's the Story?

Carrie McLaughlin (Tammin Sursok) is a rough-around-the-edges city girl who loves to skate through the streets of Pittsburgh. Carrie has lived with her grandmother since her mother died. But when her grandmother shows signs of dementia, Carrie is sent to live with her father Hank (Patrick Warburton) on a ranch in Wyoming. The problem is, she hasn't seen her father since she was a little girl. She hates being in the country, away from home, stuck with a father she doesn't know. But then she meets a horse named Flicka, who is just a wild as she is, and she begins to see the world from a different perspective.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (5):

A sequel to the movie Flicka, and based on the book by Mary O'Hara, this movie captures both the spirit of the wild teen and the wild horse who tames her. When removed from the urban environment, Carrie has a difficult time adjusting to life on "a big patch of dirt." She is outright rude to her father and is anti-social at best. But what makes this movie work is the fact that none of the men who surround her make Carrie feel like a second-class citizen. Her tough-girl status is respected, and she finds friendship first with a horse named Flicka, then with a kind (and cute) teenage ranch-hand named Jake (Reilly Dolman), and finally with her father.

Horse lovers will adore the galloping pace and grand shots of horse country. Tweens might learn a thing or two about life without digital media. Because the acting is servicable and the script is pretty believable, this sequel movie might make you reach for the tissue box when you least expect it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how kids and teens deal with loss. Carrie stops eating at one point when she is very sad. She does not show interest in any of the things that used to bring her joy. What do you do when you feel very sad or angry? Are there healthier ways of dealing with such powerful emotions than not eating?

  • Carrie's dad Hank is very out of touch with the digital world. His computer is not even connected to the Internet. What are the benefits of being online? What are the downsides?

  • Name three questionable choices that Carrie makes in this movie. Why is she acting impulsively? Is it just that she's a teenager and takes matters into her own hands? Or is there more to it than that?

Movie Details

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