The Legend of Bagger Vance

Rating:
Summary: Best Movie of the Century!!!
Review: Acting, plot, and script were absolutely superb. Better than Basic Instinct or Saving Private Ryan. Should have won dozens of Oscars. A must own for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Was This Really a Golf Movie?
Review: Robert Redford did a terrific job when he directed The Legend of Bagger Vance. The casting could not have been any superior for this movie. Matt Damon co-stars as Rannulph Junuh a local Golf hero that challenged all odds to defeat National golf heroes of the time. Will Smith is superb as a mystical traveler that by coincidence strolls into the backyard of Rannulph Junnuh to be the classic hero of that Will Smith always plays in a luminary manor. I can't define in words the kind of passion that this movie gives off. I watched it numerous times and I get the tenderness that the movie was made to give off. Watch this movie so you to can acquire the affectivity from The Legend of Bagger Vance.

Rating:
Summary: Legend of baggy pants
Review: Bobby Jones has baggy pants in this movie. Well, baggy knickers. But an down-and-out Captain Junah (played by Matt Damon) is recruited to play in a golf tournament with the best golfers in the world. The guy from MacGuyver plays the other golfer. The quality of the golf in this movie is good, Will Smith does a great job, and the movie has good pace and enough mix of humor and drama to make it worth watching. The transfer on this DVD is excellent, and so is the sound. All in all a worthwhile DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully filmed golf story
Review: As a director, Robert Redford has gained a reputation for making beautifully photographed human-interest stories ("The Horse Whisperer", "A River Runs Through It") and this film fits that mold. From a production standpoint, this film is an 11. It has gorgeous photography, incredible locations, wonderful period costumes and props, and terrific golf sequences. The story is an old-fashioned underdog story with a man fighting against the odds and himself in quest of victory and self respect. It gets a bit corny at times with the "Golf is Life" metaphors and the story is predictable, but Redford conjures fascinating characters and endows the story with a great deal of affability.

If there is one area where the film falters, it is in the character of Bagger Vance. This is no reflection on Will Smith, who did an outstanding job with the character. It has more to do with the way the character is written and Redford's way of presenting him. Vance is presented in a way that is too quirky and enigmatic which dissipates some of his impact. There has been much speculation about the character. Is he a real person, or an angel, or is he just a representation of Junuh's (Matt Damon) mental battle with himself? The last scene points to the angel theory, but Redford purposely leaves the issue nebulous.

It is a mistake for Redford to personify Vance as a black man dressed like a hobo. In Savannah in the 1930's, you were not likely to have seen a black caddie at an exclusive country club, particularly one dressed in tattered clothes. Redford completely ignores the issue of racial bigotry in the film. During the entire film, not a single person makes so much as a crossways look or comment at this disheveled black person consorting with high society, which is utterly unrealistic and anachronistic. Perhaps Redford is trying to contrast the wisdom of simple folks against the deluded self-importance of the wealthy, which is a noble message with a ring of truth. However, the incongruence of the character and the times makes the entire story much less like a legend and more like a contrived fairy tale.

As an enthusiast for the game, I am delighted at how wonderfully the golf scenes are done. From an athletic standpoint, Joel Gretsch is a marvelous choice for Bobby Jones because Gretsch has a classic golf swing as did Jones. Similarly, Bruce McGill does a good job imitating Hagan. McGill is an avid golfer and he adjusted his swing to make it more ugly, more like Hagan's swing. The biggest surprise is Matt Damon, who never picked up a golf club until this film. He worked with a golf-pro, and developed a nice looking swing, hitting some fine shots in the process.

The acting is outstanding. Damon gives another superb performance, capturing the conflict and determination of the character and the mental gymnastics of the sport. Charlize Theron is full of affected southern charm and belts out a fine Georgia accent. Bruce McGill is flamboyant and charismatic as the pompous Hagen. Though I don't agree with the way Bagger Vance is presented as a character, I can't imagine anyone doing a better portrayal of him than Will Smith did. Smith is charming, wily and cantankerous giving Vance a wise yet homespun air. J. Michael Moncrief is a local boy who was selected in a talent search to play Hardy Greaves and he does a phenomenal job, handling his character like a pro.

This is a beautiful film to watch and a gift to golf lovers. The story is somewhat trite, but the presentation is splendid. I rated it an 8/10 on the strength of the production values and my love of the game. Subtract one or two points if you think golf is boring. Add a couple if you believe that life is a metaphor for golf.

Rating:
Summary: One of 2000's Worst
Review: This one is so bad and unwatchable I do not no where to begin other than to say I would excpect more from will smith,matt damon,charlize theron and robert redford.this has to be the worst movie for all of them

Rating:
Summary: Touching
Review: I was a little reluctant to watch this movie. First of all, the trailers made it look like a sweeping love story, which is of little interest to me, and it had Will Smith in it which is not a push in the right direction. But when I left the theatre, I felt rejuvinated and ready to play golf.

The movie opens with a shot of an old man (Jack Lemon) golfing and reminiscing about his youth and how he knew Junah, the best golfer that ever lived. The movie then goes on auto-pilot, and the narration is scattered here and there. A golf course is in trouble, so the owner, Adele (Charlize Theron) decides to hold a golf tournament where only the best golfers are invited. Junah has been dormant for years, and is not ready to play golf. While he is hitting some midnight drivers, a man by the name of Bagger Vance comes out of no where and gives him some pointers. He then stays with Junah through the rest of the movie, as his caddy and spiritual advisor. Sound crazy? Not really.

This movie is not so much about golf, (although roughly 50% of it is the tournament) but about self-discovery and finding one's passions in life. The acting is great, and Charlize Theron is pleasantly annoying. Will Smith's performance actually made me like him again. And Matt Damon, with the trickiest role in the film, did a wonderful job of conveying the transformation from a drunkard to a lover of life.

I really liked this film. It made me feel good and when it was over, I had something to think about. A rare feat with movies these days.

Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Analogy
Review: In this movie, Matt Damon plays a character who at one time was an excellent golfer and a hero in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. After being in WWI, he loses his focus, his goals and his golf swing. He returns to Savannah in self-imposed obscurity, and spends his time playing poker with others who have nothing better to do. One of the young boys in town had been an admirer of his because of his love of golf and because of all the stories his daddy had told him about Damon. Another former admirer is a young socialite with whom he'd been in love before the war. Her father builds a golf course which threatens to go bankrupt during the Depression. She decides to save it by sponsoring a golf tournament featuring Bobby Jones and Walter Hagan, the two most prominent golfers of the time. The local money men refuse to support the event unless a local man is also entered. They ask Matt Damon, but he refuses. At this point, Will Smith's character, Bagger Vance, enters the scene and offers to be Damon's caddy. He becomes much more than that as he guides and cajoles the reluctant golfer into finding his swing in life and on the golf course. The movie is well-acted and offers a pleasant evening's entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: Charming!
Review: Will Smith gives a delightful performance as the mysterious caddy who helps a WW1/former golfer (Matt Damon)in an exhibition match against the famous Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. The film's best scenes are when Will Smith and Matt Damon first meet and when Matt Damon first sees "The Field"

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful movie!
Review: I have never played golf, and i'll go further to say i will probably never play it, and i understood every "golf zen" reference in the film. it has a universal theme and is beautifully filmed, the costuming is great, maybe it's not The Natural, but it is about grace and forgiveness, and how often is a philosophy of life so easily understood by both men and women without it being labeled a chick flick. sorry, no guns or bloodshed. only a guy finding a little peace of mind.

Rating:
Summary: LBV tells a nice story. But don't expect much from the DVD.
Review: Apparently the better a movie does at the box office, the more special features it will have when realeased on DVD. Since LBV did pretty bad at box offices here all we get on the DVD are about 8 minutes worth of "special features." First we have a 4-minute commentary by director Robert Redford that doesn't really tell us anything we don't already know. During the commentary you are treated to a slideshow of images from the film and/or of the filming process. The other special feature is a 3-minute interview section with some film footage of different cast members sharing their thoughts on the movie. We do also get production notes, which give a good summary of the movie. And we get cast and crew bios which are fairly thourough.

As for the movie itself, I believe I enjoyed it more watching it this second time around. If you keep in mind that this is a modern-day fairy tale, and you realize that golf is just an analogy for life, then any one of us can put ourselves in Matt Damon's role and realize that sometimes we just lose our swing. We can only hope that a Bagger Vance will walk into our lives and help us find our own authentic swing.