Finding Forrester
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Movie Reviews of Finding Forrester
Movie Review: Finding a beautiful movie..
Summary: 5 Stars
Finding Forrester is one of the rare movies that don't rely on corny music and movie cliches to touch your feelings.The message is delivered in a subtle form and although the story is not unique,this time I really found myself caring for the characters.This leads me to the conclusion that it is not what you tell,it is how you tell..Jamal(Rob Brown)is a high school student living in Bronx.He has two skills,playing basketball and writing.At a time in his life when he must decide what kind of future he wants,he meets William Forrester (Sean Connery),a once Pulitzer winning author,who dissapeared and decided to live a life of isolation after the publishement of his only book.Traditionally,it would be expected that Jamal needs Forrester's help to truly understand who he is and what he wants,buth both characters are in need of help of some kind.Their friendship starts in a bizarre way,and change both of their lives.
I was not surprised by how great Connery's performance was,because anything else is unthinkable,but Rob Brown really impressed me.And I was even more amazed to learn that it was his first screen presence.He applied to be an extra because he needed money to pay hiss cellphone bill.Well,I hope he did,and that he continues making movies,because he is a natural actor in my opinion.
The movie definitely reminds me of Good Will Hunting,the director's other movie,but although I liked that one too,I think Finding Forrester is superior.It doesn't have those "high" moments like Good Will Hunting,but the movie as a whole is touching,and some of the dialogue and the ending is genuninely original and emotional.
The DVD has a nice picture transfer.The extras are average,not bad but cold be better.I think this is a must-have DVD.
In Finding Forrester,you will find something..
Movie Review: This film succeeds and illustrates the principle..
Summary: 5 Stars
of mentoring. More than teaching, a mentor relationship is one in which both parties learn from each other, and each is sustained and made stronger by their bond with the other.No doubt, you think the veteran Sean Connery can portray this. Long a leading man, recently a character actor, Connery, however you may like or dislike him as a star, is a consummate actor. Rob Brown is a revelation; a 16 year old non-actor who has the utmost confidence in himself, and portrays it on the screen, both as his character, Jamal, and as a true partner to Connery in their shared scenes. It will be a shame if the industry does not find more roles for a youngster with such raw talent and screen presence.
A quiet film that embraces both sport and literature, and brings to life many elements of the city of New York (although mostly filmed in Toronto!), FF will touch your mind and your heart.
Many reviewers have compared it to "Scent of a Woman" and "Good Will Hunting", but it perhaps is ahead of them (Gus Van Sant using hindsight?) in that there is so much texture to the simple life of Jamal before he encounters William Forrester, in his friendships, his family, his incredible thirst for knowledge through reading and writing, his love of hoops. One feels that Jamal would have succeeded on almost any level without Forrester, and is only enriched by his encounter. For Forrester however, it is life, rediscovered.
A terrific cast, a fitting score and camerawork, with perhaps not enough special features to make it a top-drawer DVD, Finding Forrester is high on my short list of favorites for the year 2000. A gem that will keep coming back into your mind, long after you have seen it. See it.
Movie Review: You're the man now, dog!
Summary: 5 Stars
Honestly, does it get any funnier than Sean Connery yelling out, "You're the man now, dog!" That's priceless. Not only is it funny because it's Connery using modern day slang, it's also because the usage of the word "dog" went out of style faster than...well, it never was cool to say. The saying, however, is as timeless as "more cowbell" and "My name is Inigo Montoya..." - it just gets better each time it's heard.
Another classic line is when Connery belts out, "PUNCH the keys for God's sake!" It's not quite up to YTMND standards, but PTKFGS is nonetheless hilarious.
The movie itself is highly inspirational and entertaining. William Forrester (Connery) is a reclusive, agoraphobic, Pulitzer Prize winning author living in Harlem. He's somewhat of a neighborhood boogeyman, and one day a prodigous yet troubled talent named Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) dares to sneak into the apartment. Forrester scares him away, and in his haste, Wallace drops his backpack with his writings. Some time later the work is returned, but all the papers are edited and reviewed. In no time at all, the two are friends, Forrester is reviewing all of Wallace's work, and the two famous lines are uttered.
The struggle and relationship between student and teacher is truly fabulous to watch in this movie. And when Wallace attempts to help his teacher, or to coax out any sort of information, there is a palpable tension. The true battle eventually unfolds between Wallace, his school, and his professor, where someone must sacrifice in order to help the other.
I highly recommend this movie in every circumstance. It's a feel good movie with true life-lessons.
Movie Review: Exceptional on all levels
Summary: 5 Stars
Finding Forrester was a very well done film. The transformation of William Forrester (played by Sean Connery) really connected with me. The key was friendship with a kid from the neighorhood Jamal Wallace, who helps get him unstuck. It was believable because we all get stuck sometimes and help comes from the most unsuspecting corners of our life. You can't help feeling that they both help each other but it is Jamal who saves Forrester's life. He energizes Forrester. Helps him find his spirit and vitality once again.
Instead of the old man instilling wisdom upon the young man, it is the young one that predominately helps the old one find himself and his inherent genius once again. This is a good twist that allows the movie stand on its own apart from the inevitable comparisions to Good Will Hunting.
The writing and basketball are a good combination and neither is overdone. The story even mirrors the acting careers of each of the two main characters. Jamal, like the actor who plays him, is a newcomer who has burst onto the scene. Forrester, like Connery, is nearing the end of his life but bounces back to be able to do his best work again. A sparkling performance by the Scotsman Connery and could be entered into his already long list of outstanding performances.
The scenes between Jamal and Claire show a great restraint that add, not take away, from the relationship between the two. Aren't we all a mystery to each other? The greatness in this side of the story is in the unspoken and unexpressed. Their love is a budding flower just beginning. This movie was masterfully done.
Movie Review: A Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
In the twilight of his career, Sean Connery proved he still had it all and gave it all in this awesome tale. While many people will not immediately connect with the characters, it is a story that can grab you when you least expect and truly open your eyes to so many of the truths that are overlooked in our society today.
Connery plays a writer turned recluse named William Forester, who is a real author, and he lives in New York City. He remains in the home of his youth, despite the fact that over time it has changed from a middle class white neighborhood into a overall low income area in which the Black families that live in the area are struggling just to get by.
He meets a prodigy by the name of Jamaal, a young Black man who is in the prime of his High School career and is both a great athlete as he is a great writer. Jamaal suffers from what many other youth suffer from, he fears to be alienated simply because he is smart and enjoys literature. Jamaal is given a scholarship to a top tier NY private school and learns that life is not as different as many thought between the white and black worlds, just different means to the same ends.
Jamaal becomes Connery's pupil and learns to truly express himself via his writing, and while he learns about himself, he forces Connery's to do the same and the two not only become friends, but conquer some of the true challenge's that life presents.
This is a great film, something everyone could enjoy. It will certainly go down as a classic, and one of the best performances Connery graced us with.