Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Warmhearted romance with an anti-corporate perspective.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
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Where to Watch
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The Electric Horseman
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Sonny Steele (Robert Redford) was once a world-renowned rodeo cowboy, but he's now the spokesperson and "logo" for a breakfast cereal -- beholden to greedy corporate types and to his own self-destructive alcoholism. Dressed in a comical electric cowboy suit, he makes rodeo appearances and sales pitches while riding on Rising Star, a famous thoroughbred stallion. When he learns that the horse is being mistreated, Sonny snaps and instinctively (and literally) makes a run for it -- galloping out of a Las Vegas casino and into the surrounding desert to save Rising Star. He's tracked by Hallie Martin (Jane Fonda), an ambitious newspaper reporter who will do almost anything for a great story. Despite law enforcement close behind and Hallie complicating things as she does her best to get her headline, Sonny is determined to get the stallion to safety.
Is It Any Good?
Redford and Fonda, along with Rising Star, light up the screen in this very romantic movie with a purpose. It is commercialism, an intrusive media, and corporate bad guys versus a lone cowboy on the prairie accompanied by a beautiful horse, a woman in transformation, and the music of Willie Nelson.
Made in 1979, the one-note business baddies are corny and the quest is far-fetched, but the message is clear, the story is accessible, and the romance and resolution are delightfully uplifting.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the characters changed over the course of the movie. What were their tipping points? What would the movie have been like if neither character transformed?
Different movies reveal a variety of attitudes about alcohol and drug abuse. What point of view do these filmmakers' seem to be expressing about the issue? How does this film show the effects of alcohol and drugs on both Sonny and Rising Star?
How would you handle being given orders that you didn't think were fair?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 21, 1979
- On DVD or streaming : May 6, 2003
- Cast : Jane Fonda , Robert Redford
- Director : Sydney Pollack
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Columbia Pictures
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Animals
- Run time : 122 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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