Thanks to smart performances by Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper and numerous exciting racing sequences, "Seabiscuit," written and directed by Gary Ross, has the legs of a boxoffice champ. Given that Hollywood is mired in a summer league of extraordinary visual effects and very ordinary sequels, this sentimental flag-waving feels like welcome relief. The film derives from Laura Hillenbrand's best seller, which forces Ross into quite a juggling act to create and sustain many historical plot lines.

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