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David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says it's "one of the better family films of the year. … Familiar plot notwithstanding, with its wholesome charm, unapologetic sentimentality and themes of family love and holding on to your dreams, Dreamer is a sure bet to win your heart."

"It's refreshing to watch a family movie that doesn't pander," says Steven Isaac (Plugged In). "All too often well-intentioned films inject characters who flail about with unnatural wackiness in an effort to create diversions for young viewers. Thus, stories are sometimes driven into the ground with senseless subplots and silly shenanigans. Dreamer, rather, aims to draw in young minds by empowering them. … So, despite its macro-plot similarities to the likes of Seabiscuit, Dreamer ends up, to its benefit, charting its own path, and it does so with grace and style."

Lisa Rice (Crosswalk) says it will "strike a deep chord with anyone who has been broken by shattered dreams and is desperate for restoration. … When common themes are splashed throughout so much of television and the movies, it's worth it to sit up and take note. Perhaps this is the day of God's restoration, and perhaps even the secular media is tuning in and portraying His heart through the arts."

Keith Howland (Christian Spotlight) says, "The outcome of this film will not surprise anyone. But that does not matter. What matters is that it ends the way you want it to. It is told with such unblushing conviction (and with such gorgeous horses and scenery), that its intended audience should be satisfied. This is not a film for the cynical; it is a film for all who believe in long shots and second chances … and who doesn't?" He concludes, "This film is refreshingly inoffensive."

Many mainstream critics groan about the sentimentality and the clichés—but recommend it anyway.

Cliff Vaughn (Ethics Daily) says this family film starring Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell is "the latest in a line of recent horse films like Seabiscuit and Racing Stripes, though Dreamer is tonally much more like the former—and just as satisfying."

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