StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
Inclubabu Plot so thin, it es unnoticed.
Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life
SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
mirkobozic The Legend of Bagger Vance is one of those movies that are all about feeling good and inspiring messages all of which we have seen a trillion times before.: Chocolat, You've got Mail, etc. Yet, it kind of works and Redford succeeds in persuading you to stay till the ending credits though the core of the story is not a romantic plot but rather the personal development of the Matt Damon's character Junuh. Will Smith's character Bagger Vance comes to his rescue as a mysterious, yet charismatic caddie who helps him regain not only his self-confidence but also his status. The film is interwoven with magical realism of Vance, although there's not much more to him than delivering motivational speeches and puzzling everyone regarding where he came from and why he's on Junuh's side in the first place. A large part of the charm of the film is the beautiful setting of Savannah, and a very luscious Charlize Theron playing a glamorous local socialite who incites the exhibition golf match around which the whole story is revolving. With all this, it's a light , inspiring afternoon entertainment in a stylish package. You probably won't regret seeing it, but it's not exactly on par with equally feel-good vehicles like Forrest Gump. To paraphrase Vance, it's not exactly the perfect strike, but it goes in the right direction (pun intended).
blanche-2 I haven't read any other reviews of this, but I'm surprised to see such a low rating."The Legend of Bagger Vance" from 2000 is a Robert Redford movie about one of his favorite topics - sports. This time it's golf.The story begins with an elderly man (Jack Lemmon) having a heart attack while playing golf. Lying on the ground, he talks about his love of golf and tells a story set in the post-World War I era.In Savannah, there was a promising young golfer, Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon) who went to fight in WW I and saw his entire battalion killed, except for him. He disappears, and does not return to Savannah for 15 years, and now spends his time drinking and playing cards. His old girlfriend Adele (Charlize Theron), never heard from him and has moved on with her life.Adele's father has died, and left her a fabulous resort area but no one can afford to visit these days of the Depression. But Adele knows there are still people with money out there. She decides to sell everything she owns and have a golf tournament between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen (Joel Gretsch and Bruce McGill) with the prize being $10,000.Her board agrees but they want someone from Savannah to participate. A young boy, Hardy Greaves, who idolizes Rannulph, wants him to play and is in fact present when Adele tries to seduce Rannulph into playing. Eventually he gives in. But he finds he can't swing anymore.One night while practicing his swing in the dark, a vagrant named Bagger Vance (Will Smith) approaches him and offers to be his caddie for $5. What he shows Rannulph goes beyond his golf swing - it shows him to get through any challenge in life.This is a Field of Dreams type of film, and it's wonderful. It's about letting go of pain and learning who you are and what you can achieve, no matter the knocks you take in life. It's not only beautifully photographed but well directed and well acted.Will Smith is fantastic as the easygoing Bagger, his eyes and smile carrying the secret to life as he guides Rannulph. Charlize Theron has an outrageous southern accent, but she's very likable and beautiful. Matt Damon as Rannulph is a man burdened by the past, frustrated by the present, but with a winning smile who finally realizes he has to go for it.I have two problems with this film: One is, don't tell me Bobby Jones was that good-looking; and secondly, The Public Enemy, shown on a theater marquee, was released in 1931. Bobby Jones' last game, which he tells Rannulph this game will be, was in 1930.I thought the end was beautiful, particularly because this was Jack Lemmon's last film.I guess I don't understand a lot of the criticism about the movie being embarrassing. Perhaps I'm not as politically correct as I should be. I still thought it was a great movie.
jc-osms I know Americans love their golf, but even as a golf-lover and player myself, it seems to me it is a difficult sport in which to impart cinematic drama and though beautiful to look at, Robert Redford's gentle film treads a little too gently on the grass to really satisfy.Redford's recreation of the American South is gorgeous if sanitised to the point of caricature. The rich seem too rich and the poor too poor and for another thing there's a distinct lack of the expected good ol' boy prejudice in the air around Will Smith's black caddie. If, as others have suggested, this is down to his character's supernatural influence on everyone, why make him black at all? I wasn't completely convinced by the elusive nature of his Bagger Vance, even as I get the Hindu allusions in his character name and metaphysical impact on Matt Damon's Junuh character as helps him to "find himself" at the same time upholding the sportsmanship of the game of golf as it used to be.I just thought the Zen and the golf made for awkward bed-fellows plus I also thought it wrong to accredit Damon's character with the key moment of sportsmanship in the film (when he calls a foul on himself that no-one else sees) when in real-life this was actually done by Bobby Jones himself, here portrayed merely as one of Junuh's playing partners.As for the acting, I usually like Matt Damon but felt his "little-boy-lost" depiction seemed shallow, ditto Will Smith's beatific Vance while I also Charlize Theron's southern belle character a bit too rich and loud for my taste. Director Redford's cinematography as indicated is all soft-focus and golden-hued, tributing a by-gone age and there are some nice unobtrusive special effects inserted into the golf match between the two golfing greats and Damon's Junuh, especially the floodlit finale, but for me a golf-ball rolling into a hole just doesn't make for great cinema, unlike say a knockout punch at golf or a home-run hit in baseball.This is a lovingly made film by all concerned but I think in the end think I might have preferred a couple of hours myself on an actual golf course than cosy up to Redford's just- too-nice fantasy film.
vincentlynch-moonoi This is a movie I very much like, and last evening as I was watching it for maybe the 4th time I tried to focus on why it wasn't more popular. I think what it comes down to is that there's an awfully lot of time in the movie spent on the course...so if you're not a golfer or not "into" golf, that might bore you. And I tried to compare that in my mind with films about other sports, and it seems to me there is much more time spent on the links here, than might be spent on the diamond for most baseball films or on the field for most football films.Having said that, there are few things I would complain about regarding this film...but then again, I like gold. It does seem to me that some hint of Bagger in the climactic WWI scenes would have helped tie the film together. And visually realizing at the end of the film that Bagger has not aged, even though it is 60 years later would have been helpful...again to tie the beginning and end of the film together.In of performances here, I was impressed, and here's why: yes, we can get a sense of whether someone is a truly good actor in an action pic, but what can they do in a serious film? And, with the exception of "Six Degrees Of Separation" (in which he had a ing role), this was Will Smith's first serious film...and he comported himself very well. Matt Damon had less to prove here, having been in a number of serious films, but he also does very well here in a role where in various scenes he has to be very up or very down...and he balances it all pretty well. Similarly Charlize Theron continued her series of fine performances here...certainly one of our most stunningly beautiful actresses. Bruce McGill as Walter Hagen is wonderful, and he is a ing actor I have come to have a great deal of respect for. Joel Gretsch is equally good as Bobby Jones, and I'm surprised we don't see him in more feature films, although he is quite active in television. J. Michael Moncrief as the young Hardy Greaves...well, I had mixed feelings here...a little uneven...but pretty good. And of course, it was nice to see an ailing (both in the film and in real life) Jack Lemmon. Lane Smith a newspaper man was also a welcome addition to the film, although his role was not overly substantial here.My guess is that if you really "get" the psyche of golf, you'll love this movie. If you don't, there may be parts that bore you, but you can still enjoy some very fine performances. But make no mistake...this is a "serious" film.