Rating: 
Summary: Captivating
Review: As usual, Sean never fails to surprise me. Although I thought the young man should have been better at acting, but the film is very nice.
Rating: 
Summary: This film succeeds and illustrates the principle..
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: refreshingly interesting
Review: This movie's plot is far from the generic movie plot where boy meets girl, boy asks girl out, girl says no, boy stalks girl, etc...or any other plot scheme that only succeeds in pulling in millions, instead of being truly original and entertaining. This movie is refreshing and charming. The sense of humor is there and the story is fully satisfying. But, I only reccommend this book to intelligent people who would be able to enjoy it. If you are looking for a fun friday night movie, well, this may be it, but not if you are looking for just another "Dude Where's My Car".
Rating:
Summary: An Inspirational Masterpiece
Review: William Forrester (Connery) is a reclusive author who wrote a novel which is deemed as a masterpiece, but it was his only book he ever published. To many people Forrester's life remains somewhat of a mystery, that changes for Jamal Wallace (Brown) when he stumble's across Forrester's hiding place due to a dare by his friends. However that dare will change both Jamal's and Forrester's lives. As Forrester helps Jamal in bringing out his writing talents and both show each other two very different aspects of the world. Finding Forrester is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. Though its not a fast paced drama, that really doesn't matter because everything else in the film was implemented perfectly. Sean Connery does an incredible job as Forrester and is flawless throughout. This is one of Connery's most powerful performances. The star power and experienced acting of Connery didn't suppress newcomer Rob Brown who played Jamal. This was Rob Brown's first film and even before being cast he had no acting experience whatsoever. The performance that Brown puts on could fool anybody into thinking he has had some experience in the past, this young talent may just be a natural actor. Guess this film brought out a hidden talent of his. Busta Rhymes also stars in this drama and he actually isn't bad as Jamal's brother or friend, not exactly sure which one. However this movie is an instant classic and contains powerful performances.
Rating:
Summary: FRIENDSHIP PERSONIFIED!
Review: An aging reclusive writer mentors a young, fearless, tough, athletic talented teenager who shows great promise as a writer, and is brilliant on the basketball court. The film is about friendship, jealousy, fear, pride, control, manipulation, the art of communication, the bitterness of failure, power, loyalty, and the beauty of mentorship; that is sharing ones wisdom with another person. Sean Connery, Rob Brown, Anna Paquin are a winning combination. Dialogue is crisp, honest, biting. An embittered professor who duels mercilessly with his students in class because of his own past failure as a writer is the protagonist. His character is harsh, cruel and fuels the explosive dynamics of a writing contest on which hinges the scholastic fate and future of the teenager. Powerful, searing scenes of life at both ends of the survival spectrum. I really liked this film. Exceptional acting, a fine script. Teach those who can learn, and let them, -no- help them to grow up intelligent, productive - whole and healthy beings. As the film demonstrates so well, "when people are afraid, they return to their assumptions, and limit themselves." The characters in this uplifting film confront their fears. Intense, taut, excellent!
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable
Review: As a writer myself I found much to enjoy about this film. It's the kind of movie that just isn't made a lot these days. Not only does this film tell a wonderful story, about a young man with a gift for writing trying to break out of his environment, all the while being mentored by a reclusive prize-winning author, but it also has stellar performances by both Sean Connery and Rob Brown. As good as Connery is in this film, he doesn't steal the show, but blends into the background to allow newcomer Rob Brown shine. This film fits in with that genre of movies that bears slight resemblance to "Scent of a Woman" or "Dead Poet's Society." Connery's classroom scene, near the end, is a bit formulaic and Hollywoodish, but the viewer will still find it hard not to stand up and cheer. If you haven't seen an all-around good film in a while, purchase or rent this one today. It's well worth it. Matt Damon fans will enjoy the brief cameo late in the film.
Rating:
Summary: Turns Too Predictible But Very Good Nonetheless
Review: There is a lot I liked about this movie. It is very thought provoking, especially in the first half, about our assumptions about a 16 year old black youth from the Bronx who is a star athlete in his public school. We find it hard to believe that housed in his head is an intellect much more formidable than any other skill of his. Two big changes take place in his life: being mentored by Sean Connery's character, a reclusive fiction writer, and switching schools to a private one that is better able to handle all of his gifts. Where it starts getting predictible is with F. Murray Abraham playing the boy's teacher. Incredibly, Abraham is typecast here as Saleri again (from "Amadeus") where he is consumed with envy over the boy's gifts, just like he was over Mozart's in that earlier film. Director Gus Van Sant almost ruined the movie for me with this character and the subplot that character brings into the film. Anna Paquin does a nice job as the student the boy comes to know at the private school. They also have an attraction building. It's a good evening's entertainment and I would recommend viewing it on that basis.
Rating:
Summary: Left with a good feeling...from Galveston, Texas
Review: I totally enjoyed this movie. I rated it 5 STARS because I felt it had alot of depth to it. Everything Sean Connery does usually has something to say to mankind. And this is with no exception. You will always walk away after watching a movie Mr. Connery is in with a good feeling in your heart. As justice prevails and mankind is seen as doing the right thing.
Rating:
Summary: the passion of writing
Review: I still remember Connery as the monk in that scene of "The name of the Rose", in the burning library of the monastery full of the rarest and most valuable treasures, embracing books as many as possible, desperately recognizing he cannot save them all. Now here, same convincing, as Forrester, he acts a formerly admired writer, who has closed himself into his own library, walling off from the public because of the hard fate that stroke his family. Seeing only the part of the world in front of his small window, he seems to even get a bit arrogant and self-satisfied. Kind of patronizing he starts to teach a highly gifted young student the arts of writing and gives him the finishing touches. But very soon it shows up, that not only the old man is the teacher. In their meetings, the two of them have to learn from each other, they help each other to find themselves and the truth of life. Finally the old man comes back to reality. The film ends in a warm feeling of the mutual benefit of this close friendship between two persons so different in age.
Rating:
Summary: Great Acting... But I feel Cheated by the Writers
Review: I really enjoyed this movie. I feel that both Sean Connery's and Rob Brown's performances were fantastic. The interactions between the two gave it a sense of originality while the concept of teacher student has been done an infinite number of times. However, the writers bit to deep into the formula in my mind. Here is the formula for writing a teacher-student story. First, you take intelligent and either misunderstood or misguided child. Make them a tad bit precocious intellectually. Then you take injured teacher. This injury can either be physical (like Mel Gibson's Man without a Face) or psychological (as agoraphobia is here). Then you put the youth in the unexpected pathway and viola drama ensues. Oh wait I forgot the key outcome. While the youth will succeed and learn, it is the injured teacher that is healed in the end. Great basic plot. You can write about a million of these, and perhaps they have. But, I think what frustrated me most was the insistent of the writers to digress into 60's & 70's theme in a movie about a new generation. I think the fact the Brown character is a black youth from "the 'hood" may be inspirational to some, I felt like it was trying to latch on to the boogie man of racism to make the film effective rather than developing strong characters. In addition, I found the use of the Paquin character a bit annoying on the same vein-Oh her daddy doesn't want her to date Jamal. There is so much potential here to make a good story relying on good character interplay... I think Good Will Hunting demonstrates that really well, where the hardship is derived from the characters' lives not from the use of oblique racial commentary. In fact, I feel cheated because it was the easy way in my mind because so much symbolism comes easy. I really liked this movie. The dialogue and the acting were really solid. I only wish the writers would have worked harder and looked beyond the skin color and into what makes people interact.
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