Entertainment

The Greening Of Whitney Brown

Little girls and horses: It’s a love story as old as time. So it’s bizarre that the titular star (Sammi Hanratty) of this ditzy tween pic is freaked out by, then uninterested in, a Lassie-smart horse following her around the farm her family moves to when Dad (Aidan Quinn) is laid off.

Whitney was queen bee at her Philadelphia private school — class president, pursued by the cutest boy. Rural relocation is a rude awakening; the urbanized chatterbox melts down when there’s no cell reception. Her socialite mom (Brooke Shields), meanwhile, effortlessly transitions into artisanal jam-making.

Bright spots in “The Greening of Whitney Brown” are Bob the horse, a Gypsy Vanner who teaches Whitney about friendship and her rancher grandpa (Kris Kristofferson), who gets the Philly princess mucking out stalls.

Even when she’s done pouting about the hick lifestyle, our heroine is awfully shrill. There’s a fair amount of greening, but that doesn’t make Whitney any less grating.