#ryan merriman

In both Horse Sense and The Luck of the Irish, vapid, image-obsessed young men gradually develop an awareness of and appreciation for history. Their newfound understanding of the importance and continuing influence of the past leads them to develop greater empathy and a strong sense of moral responsibility. In the end, both heroes are able to save the day because of their reverence for the past; in the case of Horse Sense, Michael finds a way to preserve his cousin’s antiquated way of life, and in The Luck of the Irish, Kyle foils his enemy using his knowledge of his father’s background. Together, these two coming-of-age films posit that awareness of history is necessary to become a fully realized person, and that history acts as purifying force, ridding the two protagonists of the contaminations of modern life.