It's tough to get to the heart of Finding Forrester because of its muddled pool of influences. Good Will Hunting is an obvious point of comparison -- both are stories of blue collar prodigies reticent to use their talent because of their backgrounds and both were directed by Gus Van Sant. The issues of integrity and classism as well as the trite climax are reminiscent of Scent of a Woman (and once you add the athletics angle, you may also recall School Ties). The reclusive iconic author with a passion for baseball sounds like a subplot from Field of Dreams. And whole chunks of plot and character dynamics seem borrowed from the William Hurt story arc of Smoke. What's even more troubling is that Good Will Hunting, Field of Dreams, and Scent of a Woman tended towards clichés anyway so Finding Forrester feels either like a slick piece of mimicry, or a film written by a man who had never seen a movie and thus didn't know how to avoid dozens over too-familiar tropes. The lack of originality is troubling and yet Finding Forrester largely works because of Van Sant's proficient direction and excellent performances all around.
Newcomer Rob Brown plays Jamal Wallace, a basketball player from the Bronx who has a dirty secret. At every opportunity he's writing in one of a series of journals or reading one of a series of great books. He knows poetry and the history of the BMW corporation, and yet he gets C's at school. His test scores and hoops skills attract the attention of a ritzy Manhattan private school. At the same time, Wallace meets "The Window", a reclusive white guy who's always watching the schoolyard ball games. The Window turns out to be William Forrester, a Scot whose lone novel is still inspiring people forty years after its publication. As happens in movies, Forrester gives Wallace lessons in writing, but those lessons are really lessons in life. Wallace, meanwhile, tries to bring Forrester out into the real world. But in the end, everything that happens is about determination and being true to your own principles, while all the while chasing your dreams. In case you didn't get that "dream" motif, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" makes a couple appearances in the film.
Written by first-time screenwriter Mike Rich, Finding Forrester is a 135 minute movie that feels like it should have been longer. The film touches on a half dozen plotlines that never get developed or that just get discarded. Anna Paquin has several appealing moments as the rich white girl who's attracted to Jamal. But her story arc is abruptly dismissed. And Jamal's rivalry with the rich point guard on the prep b-ball team? Also dismissed. And Jamal's relationship with his friends from the Bronx? Patched up all-too-neatly at the end. Ethical issues involving the end of Jamal's basketball season are passed off as well. It would have been tough to resolve these things without more clichés, but leaving them hanging is even more problematic.
Yet through it all, the film coasts on the charm and professionalism of all of the actors. As Forrester, Sean Connery isn't really breaking any new ground, but like Paul Newman, our memories of the actor as a young man add additional gravity to everything he does as an older man. Rob Brown may not have acted before, but he's a natural, giving his role the necessary physical and intellectual characteristics. While F. Murray Abraham's bitter English teacher is a stock character he's always fun to watch, and in smaller roles Trevor Smith Jr. (sometimes known as Busta Rhymes) and Paquin excell.
Van Sant and ace cinematographer Harry Savides make everything look beautiful, a decision which sometimes weakens the film's sense of place. An overpolished subway stop and a selectively shot playground don't give any depth to the Bronx and Manhattan settings. Van Sant was much more successful with Good Will Hunting's Boston locales. But Van Sant moves the film at a good pace despite its length and continues to be a master with actors.
Finding Forrester's greatest gift is that even with all of the recycled material, nothing is ever so obvious as to be painful to watch. And since you've seen it all before, you can concentrate on positive theme and the excellent acting. As nice as those things are, though, they only add up to a 6.5/10 light recommendation.
Newcomer Rob Brown plays Jamal Wallace, a basketball player from the Bronx who has a dirty secret. At every opportunity he's writing in one of a series of journals or reading one of a series of great books. He knows poetry and the history of the BMW corporation, and yet he gets C's at school. His test scores and hoops skills attract the attention of a ritzy Manhattan private school. At the same time, Wallace meets "The Window", a reclusive white guy who's always watching the schoolyard ball games. The Window turns out to be William Forrester, a Scot whose lone novel is still inspiring people forty years after its publication. As happens in movies, Forrester gives Wallace lessons in writing, but those lessons are really lessons in life. Wallace, meanwhile, tries to bring Forrester out into the real world. But in the end, everything that happens is about determination and being true to your own principles, while all the while chasing your dreams. In case you didn't get that "dream" motif, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" makes a couple appearances in the film.
Written by first-time screenwriter Mike Rich, Finding Forrester is a 135 minute movie that feels like it should have been longer. The film touches on a half dozen plotlines that never get developed or that just get discarded. Anna Paquin has several appealing moments as the rich white girl who's attracted to Jamal. But her story arc is abruptly dismissed. And Jamal's rivalry with the rich point guard on the prep b-ball team? Also dismissed. And Jamal's relationship with his friends from the Bronx? Patched up all-too-neatly at the end. Ethical issues involving the end of Jamal's basketball season are passed off as well. It would have been tough to resolve these things without more clichés, but leaving them hanging is even more problematic.
Yet through it all, the film coasts on the charm and professionalism of all of the actors. As Forrester, Sean Connery isn't really breaking any new ground, but like Paul Newman, our memories of the actor as a young man add additional gravity to everything he does as an older man. Rob Brown may not have acted before, but he's a natural, giving his role the necessary physical and intellectual characteristics. While F. Murray Abraham's bitter English teacher is a stock character he's always fun to watch, and in smaller roles Trevor Smith Jr. (sometimes known as Busta Rhymes) and Paquin excell.
Van Sant and ace cinematographer Harry Savides make everything look beautiful, a decision which sometimes weakens the film's sense of place. An overpolished subway stop and a selectively shot playground don't give any depth to the Bronx and Manhattan settings. Van Sant was much more successful with Good Will Hunting's Boston locales. But Van Sant moves the film at a good pace despite its length and continues to be a master with actors.
Finding Forrester's greatest gift is that even with all of the recycled material, nothing is ever so obvious as to be painful to watch. And since you've seen it all before, you can concentrate on positive theme and the excellent acting. As nice as those things are, though, they only add up to a 6.5/10 light recommendation.