| The Legend of Bagger Vance |
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| 1/2 |
| Rating: Mediocre Distributor: Dreamworks SKG MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre: Drama Running Length: 2 hours, and 5 minutes Release Date: November 3rd, 2000 (wide) Director: Robert Redford Cast: Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Will Smith, Joel Gretsch, Jack Lemmon, and Bruce McGill. |
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| Plot: Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon) used to be a great young golfer. However, after he spent time in World War I he lost his spirit. He became a drunk and withdrew from society, leaving his girlfriend Adele (Charlize Theron) without a word. However, when Adele's father dies she decides to hold an exhibition with Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones to raise money. Later, the town decides to add a local man, and they recruit Rannulph. He puts up resistance first, but decides later to join after a mystical caddy Bagger Vance (Will Smith) motivates him. The caddy only asks for 5 dollars even though if he asked for the usual 10% he could make 1,000 dollars because the winner takes 10,000. While helping Rannulph get his shot back Vance also teaches him how to live life again. |
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| Critique: It's really sad that such an accomplished cast, and director could put together such a rank and weak film. By using Rachel Portman's always wonderful music, and by delivering some real nice cinemtography and art direction the film had some good qualities. However, in the end it was a film without any substance, and dripping with painfully corny dialogue and storyline. I even feel bad disliking the film so much because of the talent. Robert Redford is a genius as a director, not to mention an actor. Charlize Theron is one of the most talented young actresses out there. Will Smith and Matt Damon both have significant promise, and many feel Damon has already made some terrific films. (I feel besides Good Will Hunting which was excellent, but not a masterpiece he has not been in a real memorable film.) One of the film's worst aspects was the screenplay. It was awful. It does not contain round characters, nor any unique dialogue. It was choppy, inconsistent, and uninvolving. I'm not sure if Jeremy Leven who adapted the screenplay from the novel by Steven Pressfield is the one to blame because I have not actually read the book. No matter who's to blame the end product was disastrously weak. The film tries to use golf as a metaphor for life. It never really shows a strong correlation, or any interesting commentary. It spends the majority of its time dishing out cliches from bad sports films. Will Smith's character Bagger Vance is silly, and unbelievable. However, Smith's acting is perhaps the best of the film. Redford can't get much out of Theron, which is sad because not only is Theron an incredible actor, but Redford traditionally has a gift with actors. Damon's acting is atrocious, simply atrocious. There is no doubt in my mind Damon's performance is the worst of his strong career. It's a mystery to me how this film was so bad. I think so highly of everyone involved that it pains me to even pan this film. It is certainly a poor, terribly flat film, but what is all the more disheartening is how much of a waste it was. review by supernothingman |