Rating: 
Summary: Check Mate
Review: This is one of the most touching movies ever written. It has so many special undertones and hidden messages, making for a very pleasurable movie-watching experience.Joe Mantegna discovers his seven year-old son, Josh played by Max Pomeranc, has a gift for playing chess. He sees his son's talent, and the enter the world of chess tournaments, behind the guidance of tutor, Ben Kingsley. Before long, he becomes the number one child chess player, and is seemingly unstoppable. Conversely, Josh merely wants to be a "normal" boy and just wants to have the love and admiration of his family instead of countless trophies, so he soon loses his edge for the chess world. The cast is astonishing. Lawrence Fishburn, one of the most underated actors of our time, plays a wonderful "street smarts" chess player. Add in cameos by Dan Hedaya, David Paymer, and William H. Macy, who I can't watch on the silver screen without saying "Ah, Gees," and you have one entertaining film. This is a truly wonderful movies, with lots of depth. It is not so much about chess as it is about finding one's inner strength and character in the face of adversity and high-pressure challanges. The acting is superb, and the chess tournament scenes are, in fact, riveting. This film is a can't miss.
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Summary: A film for the whole family
Review: A heart-warming, feel good movie that introduces you to Josh Waitskin (Max Pomeranc), a 7-year-old chess enthusiast. Not only is he enthusiastic, he is a brilliant player that uses combinations that only the most advanced players would dare to try. The best part is Josh is just an everyday kid with a good heart. He has never been schooled in the techniques of the advanced rules of competition that accompany the game. Josh lacks the "killer instinct", and he finds himself up against kids whose lives are warped by their obsession for the game. Ben Kingsley plays the chess teacher hired by his dad to coach him in the ways of this competitive world where many of the moves are based on games played by such greats as Bobby Fischer. Laurence Fishburn's role introduces the flip side of the spectrum, a street player who plays for money in Washington Square, and shoots from the hip. Conflict is bound to ensue when oil meets water and it certainly does. Director Steven Zallian, interlaces live footage of Bobby Fischer's genius which Josh narrates, adding an interesting aspect to the possibilities and incredible vigor behind the competition that these kids are up against. Based on a true story, this was a great movie for the whole family, with life lessons to be learned. I highly recommend it. Kelsana 6/19/02
Rating:
Summary: a good movie about a good thing
Review: This movie is really good. It got me interested in chess when I first saw it, and now I am one of the top scholastic chess players in my state. It has really good music and really good actors, and the story is good. I also read the book about the real thing, and the movie is pretty close to the book. Overall it is a super good movie.
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Summary: Review by Mrs. Landsman's 9:40 Summer Class (3rd-5th grades)
Review: What if you were one of the best kid players at chess in the U.S.? It started off pretty unusually for you. You learned chess so quickly by simply watching people play in the park. Now, people are saying that you play like Bobby Fischer, who was one of the most amazing chess players ever. What would you be like if this was happening to you? This is what occurs in the movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer. This movie had a great plot, and it also had a super screenplay. The characters were interesting. Some of the acting of the scenes was excellent. It really made sense how the characters developed. The climax was intriguing and the denouement was satisfying. There was some humor in it, too. There were also some little flaws in the film. Some parts were upsetting. There was not a lot of action in this film. This movie may not be so good for kids that are younger than 7 years old because they may not understand it. We recommend Searching for Bobby Fischer to kids and adults. However, if you like action a lot, then you wouldn't really be interested in this movie. We liked it through the whole movie and we hope you enjoy it, too.
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Summary: No, it's not really about chess....well, not just chess.
Review: 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 mother in this film, and here she continues to solidify her position as one of the most wonderful actresses working today. Will she EVER get the widespread recognition she deserves?
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Summary: Im a chessplayer..and this is what I think
Review: No one can play chess well without years of practice. The idea that a 10yr kid one days says I can play is unrealistic. Bobby Fischer used to study 18 hours a day for decades. The other part I thought was unrealistic, was the guys in Washington Square. That everyone in the park is a drug dealer or alcoholic or general bad influence. Thats total crap. Lots of guys in the park are bad, but the good players above 1800 arent. You cant play at 1800+ and be doing drugs or alcohol all the time. It requires a lot to get to 1800+. If you think it is easy to get to 1800+, by all means give it a whirl. I like chess because it is both science and art. Like the sweet science of boxing. Or japanese samurai sword fighting.
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Summary: Bobby Fischer: Best reason NOT to play chess
Review: There is a line in this film where the chess teacher (Ben Kingsley) is telling Josh, "You must have contempt for the world...like Bobby Fischer". Actually the contempt Bobby Fischer felt for the world turned into some kind of mental illness. His diatribes of pro-Hitler pro-911 Holocaust-denying hatred know no bounds (yes his mother was Jewish, but he denies it). Some attribute his Nazism to chess, which essentially is a game where your "ego must destroy your opponent's ego" (Kasparov). And Fischer also includes in his diatribes that the use of his name for this film is unauthorized. The film itself is okay, but has some flaws (besides its title). It basically shows the adult world of competition from Josh's father (Joe Mantegna) yelling at a teacher because she doesn't consider Josh a "genius" to Josh's chess teacher ripping up a bunch of chess certificates. And Josh's opponent is this contemptible kid who's only purpose in life is to win at chess. The parents of the child prodigies descend like wild geese on the matches, so they have to be locked out. But the father tells Josh at the end, "it's just a game". Josh says, "no it's not". I think it should be drilled into every chess player that, YES, it's just a game. Please don't become like Bobby Fischer. I've been a mediocre chess player since I was a kid, and really found the game kind of boring. I think kids would do much better to learn meditation than chess....at least it would be healthier for their view of the world.
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Summary: Great Photography
Review: Just a note about cinematography. This is the most amazingly natural look in a film that I have ever seen, and to have assisted at a talk given by Conrad Hall it sounsd like he was more pleased with his photography work in this movie than that in "American Beauty" for which he received an oscar for Best Photography. The beauty of this film is that you son't realize how beautiful it is untill you watch it a second time, the first time you're too occupied with the story and the sheer "naturality" of it, but look at it again, look at the scenes in the boy's bedroom, the first time you saw it you were probably induced into thinking that they got the this kid's room in an actual house and just pointed the camera and shot, the second you realize the excruciating care put into lighting this scene. But also, and more importantly, the scenes in the Chess halls, when Ben Kingsley instructs the child the contrasts between background and foreground, dark areas and bright area is absolutely perfect. Just beautiful!
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: This is one of the best movies our family has!
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Summary: Most Under Rated Movie Ever.
Review: And why is it that such a ridiculously good movie has been so clearly overlooked? This is not merely a family film. This film is quietly sitting around some shelves somewhere, being a genius. The very opening, what with the soft strings carrying some undercurrent of whateverness, along with the opening dialogue (spoken so sweetly by a child no other child can dare out perform) is hair-raisingly impressive. It's futile. Every second of this movie can be discussed in great detail: the technical musings, the psychological gamblings, the musical magnum opuses (becoming so excited by the thought of this movie that I'm no longer making any sense whatsoever), the acting... It's quiet and it's absolutely genius. The symbolism is beautiful. I'm thinking mostly of the "Don't move until you see it."/"I can't see it." moment, focusing on the pawn, the King. So it's good.
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