In 1999 an underachieving colt and an overweight jockey fresh out of rehab teamed up for an unlikely partnership that approached Triple Crown glory and ultimately ended in tragedy. "Charismatic" is Steven Michaels' (sportscaster Al's son) documentary of the title horse and his rider Chris Antley, who working with legendary and reclusive trainer D. Wayne Lukas, were able to to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness before the horse collapsed at the Belmont, leading to Antley's self-despair and ultimate demise. It is an engrossing story, somewhat blandly told, though still engrossing nonetheless, as we hear interviews from Antley's colleagues, friends, loving wife as well as old footage of the jockey himself, who carries a sad, elegiac way about him, making his story all the more so engaging.
