La légende de Bagger Vance

What I really liked about The Legend Of Bagger Vance is the great care that director Robert Redford did in evoking the feel and ambiance of Savannah, Georgia in the Great Depression. I really did feel like I was back in that time watching this story about a match between the greatest golfers of their era, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. A match where a local man, Matt Damon gave the greats a run for their money.

Harve Presnell one of Savannah's leading citizens has invested everything in the development of a new golf course and when stock market crashed he loses everything and takes his own life. Staving off her father's creditors Charlize Theron vows that this course will open and will feature a match between the two best of their time Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. However for a little local rooting interest the townsfolk insist on a local player in with the big guys.

Said local player is Matt Damon who went to war in 1917 and came out bitter, disillusioned and drunk. Back in the day people in Savannah thought Damon might have a future in professional golf then really at its beginning. But he hasn't swung a club in a decade.

This entire story is seen through the eyes of young J. Michael Moncrief who in time grows up to be Jack Lemmon who appears at the beginning and end of the film in his farewell role. Lemmon also provides the narration for The Legend Of Bagger Vance.

Damon eventually accepts, but it's only when Will Smith comes along playing the title role as a most mysterious man who offers to be his caddy that Damon plays. Smith imparts some real life lessons that both Damon and young Moncrief take in.

Other than Will Smith the only time you see any black people in the film is when Damon is discovered, living reclusively, drinking heavily and in a poker game with several black people. In segregated Savannah of the Twenties while you see a genteel version of the South it still has its racist mores and only Damon and Moncrief break them. The only black face you see in the crowds at the celebrated match is Will Smith's.

Joel Gretsch as Bobby Jones and Bruce McGill as Walter Hagen exactly fit the conception I had of both Jones and Hagen. They were as different as baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Hagen was a cheerful hedonist who was quoted as saying he didn't want to be a millionaire just live like one. Jones was the epitome of clean living and good sportsmanship. Among those covering the match was Grantland Rice played here by Lane Smith in his farewell role.

How the match comes out is for you to watch the film for. But some life lessons are learned by all the players.

Sports Illustrated once rated this the worst movie of all time. They're Crazy! Great story. Will Smith is excellent. Love the kid who plays the local Savannah boy! One of my favorite-if not my very favorite-golf movies.

It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a movie as much as I did this one. We all watch movies for a lot of reasons besides the obvious reason of "entertainment." While THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE does it in a most charming and entertaining way it is all about Redemption. Each of us faces adversity in our daily life and how we face it marks the quality of the life that we live. Junuh has faced personal demons for more than ten years since he fought in WW I. The "Loss of his swing" is more than an athletic loss that he refers to. He has lost his faith in himself and his ability to face life after his return from the war.

The role of Bagger Vance, ably played by Will Smith, was not as God like as the character described by Steven Pressfield in his book from which this film was adapted. In the movie Vance had the ability to help people think beyond the obvious and to reach back for something special. In Junuh he helps reinstill a personal belief and an appreciation of life. In the Pressfield book, Vance WAS a God.

All of the roles were well played and the young boy playing Lemmon in his youth stole the show. It was also good to see Jack Lemmon in his final movie role. I thought it was an interesting coincidence that Lemmon's final role was in a mystical movie just as Burt Lancaster's was in THE FIELD OF DREAMS. The score was also especially moving and the music fit the movie to a "T." This is a different kind of movie but still qualifies as a "feel good" movie. We don't always have an opportunity to go back and take a second stab at life and that is the beauty of this movie.

It is a wonderful thing to be able to go back and make amends for mistakes we have made in our lives and to come out on the other side as a better person. That is what Junuh was able to achieve and that made me feel very good when the credits rolled. For those of you who thought this was a golfing movie that is not the case. It is a movie about life and the chance to make a fresh start which is always important for those who struggle to overcome adversity.

Maybe it was because I had a hard week at work. Maybe it was because I just needed something to make me feel good. I don't know. I can't pinpoint it, but for some reason I really liked this movie. Sure it was manipulative, and sure it tried it's best to make you feel all mushy inside, but you know what...I guess I was just in the mood for that, and this movie hit the spot last Friday night. From a cinematography stand point the movie is beautiful. Redford is known for this trait, and indeed has directed some of the most beautiful movies ever made (A River Runs Through It, The Milagro Beanfield War, The Horse Whisperer). He just chooses some very beautiful scenery and runs with it. However, besides the scenery, the movie seemed to flow like a steady river. The acting was superb (even Smith's subdued Bagger), and the story was interesting. I like golf, so maybe that helped, but I do think that anyone can enjoy this movie. You just have to let yourself like it.

I'm surprised this movie didn't rank higher with viewers. Will Smith is great in the way he imparts quiet wisdom. Matt Damon's portrayal of a man who has been damaged by the horrors of war, finds redemption and learns to live is spot on. The feel of the time the story is set is also very good. the camera work and the general setting is beautiful. Do I like this movie? What do you think?