MRM – Searching For Bobby Fischer at 7:31 PM

 

Directed By: Steven Zaillian

 

Written By: Fred Waitzkin (book), Steven Zaillian (screenplay)

 

Starring Cast: Max Pomeranc (Josh Waitzkin), Joe Montegna (Fred Waitzkin), Ben  Kingsley (Bruce Pandolfini)

 

Supporting Cast: Joan Allen (Bonnie Waitzkin), Laurence Fishburne (Winnie)

 

What’s It Rated?: PG for some language and depiction of drug dealers and gamblers

 

Genre: Drama, Family

 

Synopsis: Josh Waitzkin is a chess genius who plays just to have fun. But soon he, and his dad start taking the game seriously and they hire a chess master to teach Josh to play like the famous Bobby Fischer. However, Josh begins to realize that as he gets better and the weight of the chess world begins to fall on his shoulders, he stops playing for fun and starts winning to please his dad. But his own invincibility proves a disadvantage when winning holds no thrill any more, and Josh loses several chess tournaments.

 

My Take: This film was a recommendation from Sam Y.

 

I just watched Searching for Bobby Fischer last night, and my reaction was a very favorable one. It’s a great film that everyone should see eventually.

 

The film style is fantastic, mixing footage of the real Bobby Fischer with the story of Josh Waitzkin, comparing his life to that of the all time chess great. This, along with Max Pomeranc’s narration, produce a very interesting and, in it’s own way, slightly humorous film.

 

The story is one of the best I’ve experienced in a long time, and although somewhat predictable, doesn’t leave you with that sour taste of a pre-canned story. This is the story of a real boy’s life, and it’s different and interesting enough to make an excellent script.

 

Well I’ve go to wrap things up, but I’ll just put in a small warning. In the film, Josh plays chess in New York’s central park, which is where many alcoholics and drug dealers also play chess. One scene depicts, gambling and even a short clip of a man handing another a plastic bag (drugs). If you are not OK with this sort of thing, you should either not watch this film, or skip that scene.

 

A wonderful film, and highly recommendable to (almost) everybody.

 

Story: 9 out of 10

 

Humor: the comic relief wasn’t like any other film I’ve ever seen. Not laugh-out-loud, but a sort of smile-on-the-inside-delightful-funny. 9 out of 10

 

Suspense/Tension: 7.5 out of 10

 

Overall: 9 out of 10