Of all the movies that my family has watched, this is the only movie that we don't intentionally rent. The first time Lane gets hurt is just too much for my husband to watch. Otherwise, 8 seconds would be on TV once a week if it were up to me. This is the only movie that I have seen in the theater where everyone remained seated through the credits. We were with another couple. I looked over to see my brother-in-law with tears streaming down his face as the end credits rolled and two songs played. In fact, most of the people sitting around us were crying. I was hesitant about watching Cynthia Geary after seeing her strong character on Northern Exposure (tv). I think her performance here is cheesy. Better casting would have sent my vote to a 10 out of 10 but this one gets 9 from me. Most of it's appeal comes from the soundtrack and how moved everyone feels after watching it. If a movie ever influenced me, it is this one. To this day I follow Tuff Hederman's career, though I wasn't interested in rodeo before seeing 8 Seconds.