All Hat

SCREEN MEDIA/UNIVERSAL
Street: May 27
Prebook: April 29
> Horse racing and small-town intrigue add up to an unexpectedly successful labor of love.

All Hat is one of those labors of love crafted from a mutual passion and shared vision by all those involved. A gorgeously photographed, carefully paced and toned production set in a place we don’t explore everyday—the horse country of modern Canada—the film concerns ex-con Ray (Luke Kirby of HBO’s sexy Tell Me You Love Me), who returns to his ranch community to find a billionaire’s desperate son (Noam Jenkins) trying to buy up farms for homes and a golf course. A stolen horse, a small-time community race and a feisty female jockey (Rachael Leigh Cook) all play into the story line, which eventually has Ray redeeming himself. The gentle guitar score by jazz great Bill Frisell, here in an Americana mood, is worth checking out on its own (as it happens, it’s available on Decca).

Shelf Talk: The studio isn’t pulling out all the stops for this saga—expect only video trade advertising—so star power, recommendations to those who enjoyed the 2004 Brad Smith novel upon which this film is based and bold placement will be key in getting All Hat noticed. Cook (Nancy Drew, She’s All That) and lovely Lisa Ray (Bollywood/Hollywood) will draw the younger audience, and Keith Carradine (Dexter) as a wise old cowboy and Ernie Hudson (TV’s Desperate Housewives) as a horse trainer will attract the older crowd.