High replay value.
One of the deciding factors I use to determine whether or not I will purchase a DVD is, "How many times will I want to see this film?" Well, as far as this DVD is concerned I'm nearing the double-digits in viewings. This is essentially a Family Film with a great cast of actors such as Laurence Fishburn, Joan Allen, Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, David Paymer, William H. Macy, and a small role by the then virtually unknown Laura Linney. After that, there are some fine scenes filled with some excellent child acting. I happen to think any film with good child acting is worth seeing, they are so rare. The story is well-written and ranges in emotion from humor to borderline outrage and deep-seeded disappointment. This film actually reminds me of "The Color of Money" directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman. I got a similar buzz from both films. After I watch "The Color of Money" I feel an unbridled desire to play pool. After I watch "Searching for Bobby...
No, it's not really about chess....well, not just chess.
This is not a movie only about chess any more than "Field of Dreams" was only about baseball. This is about a father who wants his son to excel, and about a son who just wants his father's love and approval just to be a "normal" kid. "Chess" in this movie could have been a metaphor for any special "gift" or talent, but it is important to mention that this film is based on real-life persons and events.
This is a story about finding one's character and courage in the face of mounting pressure and high expectations. It's about a very young boy who wants to be sure his father loves him for who he is, not just for what he can do.
Written and directed by Steven Zaillian (who wrote, among other things, the screenplay for Spielberg's "Schindler's List"), SFBF is a heartwarming movie that has you rooting and cheering. And young Max Pomeranc is a real fine young actor! Multiple Oscar-nominee Joan Allen plays the boy's...
Finding a Good Movie
This film is loosely based on the real story of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, who has outranked other junior players by so many points, that he is the first American player since Bobby Fischer who genuinely deserves to be hailed as the "Next Fischer."
Unlike Fischer, however, Waitzkin is a regular kid (or was, he's in his early 20's now), who loves baseball, fishing, other games, like Clue and Monopoly. He also likes playing blitz chess in Washington Square Park with the men, some of them homeless, yet still gifted chess players, who charge tourists for games to make a living, and play one another to prove their prowess.
(The Washington Square Park players are real, by the way. Washington Square Park is in Manhattan a few blocks above Greenwich Village. It's a well kept park. Street performers often ply their trade there as well, and you can take your pick of street vended food.)
Bobby Fischer single-mindedly pursued chess. He was the son of a single mother, who quite...
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