La légende de Bagger Vance

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.

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.

This will be short. This will be sweet.

After viewing this film, I am feeling really good about myself right about now. This movie was uplifting and inspiring. You will feel good about yourself after seeing it. And that is probably what Robert Redford has hoped would happen. Hehe. That little s***. This movie has the exact feel of those other feel-good movies that have come before it. Ex. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, OCTOBER SKY, etc. But, for some reason THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE seemed to be one of the better films of that genre. It almost made me cry, which very rarely ever happens. Matt Damon is a good actor. I hope to see more of him everywhere. If you are in the mood for a happy movie that will make you feel good about yourself, see this one.....5/5.

Oh, and it was good to see Jack Lemmon in this film. Especially since it is the last one he ever plays in.

The thing you have to bear in mind when watching The Legend of Bagger Vance is that sports movies, by their very definition, tend to match the atmosphere of the sport they depict. Football or Ice hockey movies for instance tend to be loud, bombastic and flashy, just like the games themselves. Basketball movies meanwhile often rely on the street/hip hop connection and are just as loud, but with a slightly more gritty edge to them, provided you completely forget about the atrocious Space Jam. Bagger Vance on the other hand revolves entirely around golf and consequently, is a lot quieter, slower paced and gentle than its brash genre cousins, but it nevertheless possesses a charm and subtlety that is quite endearing.

Told completely in flashback, the film's story involves Matt Damon's depressed World War One veteran Rannulph Junnuh taking part in a highly publicised golf tournament against two established (real life) professionals - Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. At first things don't look good, Junnuh hasn't played the game since getting back from the trenches and is a slovenly drunken washout. Despite having the support of the townsfolk, nobody really expects him to win. And then he gets a new caddy in the shape of Bagger Vance (Will Smith).

At this point I imagine alarm bells are ringing in your head. Will Smith must mean wise-cracking, one-liners and the word 'damn' being stretched out so that it consists of two syllables right? Well you'll be relieved to know that Bagger is a pleasant change of direction for the normal Smith stereotype. Relaxing on his heels and working his acting muscles instead of his action hero ones, Smith is the undeniable soul of the movie. His eminently likable charm is still there, but he relies more on home spun wisdom and gentle prodding to help Damon back into his game, rather than calling him names and effecting a cocky swagger. Playing off against him, Matt Damon is suitably vulnerable and insecure but is overshadowed a bit. Thankfully, Junnuh's redemption and Vance's easy going friendship is enough to carry the film and the story, while corny, is just as charming as the title character.

Elsewhere, director Robert Redford once again shows off his knack for beautiful cinematography. As most of the film takes place on golf courses you're never too far away from some gorgeous scenery and the contrast between the vibrant green vegetation and stunning blue sky makes Bagger Vance a feast for the eyes. Given the film's somewhat slow pace, it also makes this an ideal choice for a wet Sunday afternoon where you'd like to go for a walk and appreciate the countryside but are unable to thanks to the rain.

That said, Bagger Vance still has its faults. The writing is a bit hackneyed and anyone who doesn't like cheese would do well to stay away. Junnuh's love interest sub-plot with golf promoter Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron) meanwhile feels tacked on and unnecessary, as though somewhere along the production line someone decided that if Junnuh was to fully come to terms with himself he'd have to get it on with a sweet country belle. The positives outweigh the negatives though and if you're in the mood for a relaxing, slow paced movie with a lot of subtleties that not everyone will appreciate, you can't really go wrong with Bagger Vance. This is a film to watch with your feet up, the house clean and a big mug of hot chocolate in your hand. And refreshingly enough for a sports movie, it doesn't feature a scene where a big crowd begins cheering wildly while over-the-top power ballads play in the background, that alone should be enough to raise an eyebrow or two.