wild hearts can't be broken movie poster

Sonora knows enough to steer clear of Al’s cheap attentions and she loves working with horses, even if it’s only as a stable hand. So how did they tell this story in a believable yet G-rated manner? It wasn’t easy, but director Steve Miner (“ Forever Young”) managed to pull it off. Carver ( Cliff Robertson) is gruff and hard-driving and alienates everyone around him his son Al (Michael Schoeffling) is a gambler and woman-chaser who might even want to teach the underage Sonora a thing or two and the entrenched diving girl, Marie (Kathleen York), is snotty and very jealous of any competition. Carver’s stunt act (a horse climbs a 40-foot ramp, the girl mounts at the top and they dive together into a shallow pool).

Instead, she sets out on her own, intending to become a “diving girl” in Dr. Stubborn and headstrong, she’s in trouble at school and in the home of her aunt and is about to be sent to a state institution. Outside of her love for horses, she doesn’t have much going in life. Sonora Webster is a young orphaned schoolgirl (played convincingly by 20-year-old Gabrielle Anwar) facing the height of the Great Depression in 1932.

This film, based on a true story, reminds me of the old saw: When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.

Wild hearts can't be broken movie poster