The Legend of Bagger Vance | | Cast : | Will Smith, Matt Damon | | Director : | Robert Redford | | Studio : | Dreamworks Skg | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | , 2000 | | DVD Released Date : | June 21, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 11, 2005 | | Summary | My Favorite Golf Movie Ever | Content
 | I had been wanting to see this movie for quite some time and then when I was gone to the beach we went to Wal Mart to get some stuff. I saw the movie in the 5 dollar movie bin. It turned out to be one of my favorite sports movies ever. I recommend this to anyone, even if you don't care for golf, it is still a great movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 27, 2005 | | Summary | Sliced Out of Bounds | Content
| Given the $60 Million budget and the lofty game/life message, it is likely that Robert Redford was striving to achieve a 'cinema classic' with this film. Unfortunately, professionally crafted movies by well-meaning directors with very ambitious goals often fall short. "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is such a movie. You have to give Redford credit for trying for something extraordinary, but at the end your overriding reaction is that it just didn't work. The upside is that ambitious failures provide excellent opportunities to understand the pitfalls of film-making. While there is little to be learned from failures like Cabin Fever, where little is attempted and even less achieved, a careful analysis of Bagger Vance can be a valuable learning experience. And while analysis can explain why it didn't work, it will not explain why those making the film failed to recognize and correct the elements that ultimately relegate this film to nothing more than a visually interesting period piece.
It is well over two hours long (three on television), and while not much happens it isn't particularly dull. The sets are wonderful, the camera work is first rate, sound is fine, and editing/pacing is more than satisfactory. So why doesn't it work?
SCRIPT-Beware of adapting a storyline that combines the tenuous idea of golf as a metaphor for life with a nostalgic return to the essence of the sport, and then throws in the standard underdog rising to the challenge in the 'big game'. It simply cannot be done in a movie, these three basic elements get in each others' way. Redford failed for the same reason in "The Natural" and "Field of Dreams" was wise enough to stick to only the first two elements and not incorporate the underdog/big game idea. Another flaw (IMHO anyway) is utilizing historical figures in a serious fictional story. Since the events of the story never happened, why are historical characters like Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen dragged into the plot?
DIRECTING-Redford's weakness as an actor is also his weakness as a director. Just as he has never played a character that we could really believe in and care about (we wanted "The Sting" to work but we didn't care what happened to Redford), Redford as a director has never been able to populate his films with real humanity. His focus has always been inanimate detail and mystical reverence. Even Hardy Greaves, the local boy who narrates the story is two-dimensional; which is quite an achievement given the amount of screen time he has and the opportunity afforded by his voice-over narration.
CASTING-Will Smith and Matt Damon are way too young to be even remotely believable as a wise mystic and a burned-out veteran. I'm not sure that Will Smith could even be considered an actor so his age is only a secondary problem. While not physically credible, Damon's actual performance is fine-but many of this scenes are opposite Charlize Theron who (as usual) dominates the screen when paired with relative lightweights like Damon.
Except for the sets and style there is little to get excited about in this film. The only interesting character/performance is Bruce McGill's (remember D-Day in Animal House) portrayal of Walter Hagen (who would have been better of course as a fictional character). McGill puts actual life into this movie, even as it's moronic golf-as-religion theme bogs it down like a golfer who wades too far into a Georgia tide pool. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 26, 2005 | | Summary | I've been with you all the time... | Content
| Randolph Junah is a golfer who went off to World War I, and because of this, he seems to have lost his swing. It also seems he has lost all of his feeling about everything. In short, it appears that he has lost his faith about his place in this mortal world. Enter Bagger Vance-from seemingly out of nowhere one night, who seems to know Junah very well indeed and quietly guides him back to himself. The Bagger Vance character seems to be a manifestation of God sent to earth to help Junah prevail through his suffering. Junah has clearly suffered enough but doesn't understand this fact, he only feels guilt, which doesn't serve him well. The golf in this movie is fabulous, it's a stirring event. (Golf can be stirring? Who knew?) Good performances by Matt Damon, Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jack Lemmon who is as always, awesome. Check out this movie...it'll leave you feeling very hopeful about life. It will make you think that perhaps there is a bigger, quieter world than we know. If we're paying attention, that is...and it seems like paying attention is not a requitement at all. I'm not a religious person, but this movie made me think that there may be a world above and beyond; spirituality, if you will. For those of you who may be turned off by this sort of sentiment, Charlize Theron does strip down to her undies. It's not a preachy kind of movie, just very much about the human condition. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 14, 2005 | | Summary | Like a Putt That Juuussssstt Misses..... | Content
| Too bad. Thoughtful direction, novel story and a solid, attractive trio of stars. But this overwrought, over-scored, over-messaged movie misses the mark...and it's tough to finger the culprit(s).
No, it isn't Theron's woefully bad Southern dialect or Bagger's corny dialogue. It isn't the allegory heaped upon allegory or Jack Lemmon's "grumpy old man" cameo.
Whatever it is, this is ultimately a film for fans of the celebrity cast members, director or the game of golf. Trip Hamilton and Joel Gretsch do deserve mention for their standout supporting roles. However, your two hours will probably be better spent going to the driving range. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 09, 2005 | | Summary | Modern Day Bhagavad-Gita | Content
| This movie is a modern day telling of the ancient Indian sacred story of the Bhagavad-Gita. Will Smith plays the part of Lord Krishna who is giving the golfer (Arjuna in the Gita) how advice on how to live his life as it is meant to be led. See this movie if you have any interest in ancient Yoga! |
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