À la rencontre de Forrester

Continuing my plan to watch every Sean Connery movie in order, I come to the penultimate movie in his filmography Finding Forrester (2000)

Plot In A Paragraph: A young writing protégé (Rob Brown), finds help with a reclusive author (Connery)

The last REALLY good movie Connery made. It's a wonderful performance that was surprisingly snubbed come awards season. Rob Brown gives a really good performance, even more so when you consider it was his debut. F Murray Abraham is his usual great self!! Perfectly annoying!! Matt Damon pops up in a cameo as a lawyer too.

It has a few pacing issues, a few unnecessary scenes and it's quite poorly lit at times too!! But those are minor gripes, and I for one love this movie. It would make my Top 100 of the decade. This is the movie I wished Connery ended his filmography on. But like with Clint Eastwood, he went one more after a great movie. Although Eastwood's last movie was not the disaster that Connery's was.

Finding Forrester grossed $51 million st the domestic box office, to end 2000 as the 50th highest grossing movie of the year.

'Finding Forrester' is without any doubt the best movie of the year 2000. I've heard many people say that this is just director Gus Van Sant's retread of his oscar winning hit 'Good Will Hunting'. That is the furthest statement from the truth. Eventhough the general idea of two different people bonding is here, everything else is as different as it comes.

The story is about Jamal Wallace(Rob Brown, making his bigscreen debut), an allstar basketball player who's only 16 but has a passion for writing and reading. One night on a bet he breaks into the apartment of a person only known to the neighborhood kids as "The Window". But when he's caught, Wallace bolts and forgets his backpack. Later he gets his backpack back, with all his written material analyzed, corrected ect. After revisiting the man, Wallace finds out that "The Window" is none other than reclusive author William Forrester(Sean Connery), who has been hiding for 40 years. They cut a deal that as long as Jamal doesn't tell anybody about William, then William must help Jamal with his writing. Over the course of the movie a beautiful bond forms as the two different people become friends and partners. Along the way William helps Jamal deal with his biased english professor Robert Crawford(F. Murray Abraham), his new girlfriend(Anna Paquin), his brother(rapper Busta Rhymes) and everyone else in his life.

The acting in this film is universally excellent, and no matter how it is billed Brown is the real star of this movie. Connery is brilliant but isn't on the screen enough to outshine Brown. Abraham comes off as the perfect nemesis and Busta Rhymes acquits himself rather well. Anna Paquin isn't too bad but she isn't given too much to do. Excellent supporting cast withstanding the best scenes in the film are the one on one interactions between Brown and Connery. I especially loved the "Soup questions" scene and the Jeopardy scene.

Considering this is Van Sant's first film since the terrible 'Psycho' remake he made a few years back he does very well. And surprisingly he generates more tension and suspense in one basketball sequence late in the movie than he did in all of 'Psycho'.

Overall this is not only Van Sant's best movie but also the best film all year. And after seeing this movie three weeks after the Academy Awards it makes it all the more shocking that 'Gladiator' won as I can't see how, in any way, it is better than this great film. Like a great book 'Finding Forrester' gets better every viewing and i'm sure it will stand the test of time. 10/10

A reclusive author, whose only published novel won the Pulitzer Prize, becomes the mentor of an underprivileged and talented sixteen-year-old in `Finding Forrester,' directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Connery and newcomer Rob Brown. Young Jamal Wallace (Brown) is a star basketball player in his neighborhood, and-- unbeknownst to his peers-- also has a gift for writing. The acceptance he needs from his friends, however, that need to `fit in,' is derived from playing ball; yet his heart is in his writing. But he knows that within the limited confines of his environs his skill with the written word means next to nothing in regards to his future, and he sees basketball as the only viable means of doing anything worthwhile with his life. That is, until one day circumstances bring him into contact with William Forrester (Connery); and it's an encounter that ultimately changes the direction of his life forever. Working from an intelligent, well crafted screenplay by Mike Rich, Van Sant establishes the milieu within which the story will unfold with his opening shot: A black youth setting the stage in rap. It's clever and effective, and the contrast between the rap at the beginning and the song at the end not only frames the film but underscores the impact of the story, as it succinctly encapsulates the changes in Jamal's life. As he did with `Drugstore Cowboy' and `Good Will Hunting,' Van Sant successfully captures the essence of a particular culture and how those living within it relate to those apart from it. It's a study of human nature and the levels of diversity of which our society is comprised, and Van Sant does it exceedingly well. As far as performances go, Connery makes the most of one of his best roles in years. Perfectly cast as Forrester, he lends an adamant toughness to the character initially, then slowly and subtly allows the vulnerability that lies beneath the gruff exterior to surface. It makes for a well-rounded, complete portrayal, as we see not only his iconoclastic leanings, but the very human and caring side of the man as well. And it's Connery's superlative performance, through which he conveys the complexities of the character so well, that illuminates the true depth and multi-faceted dimensions of Forrester; it is not only memorable, but worthy of an Oscar. In his motion picture debut, Brown takes the screen by storm; a storm that is at once gentle and discerning, yet endowed with a strength born of it's own momentum. With a manner reminiscent of Cuba Gooding Jr. in `Boyz N the Hood,' he has a natural acting ability that commands attention, and if his performance here is any indication of his talents (which obviously it must be), then it is safe to say that the cinematic world has certainly just been enriched by his presence. The supporting cast includes F. Murray Abraham (Professor Robert Crawford), Anna Paquin (Claire), Busta Rhymes (Terrell), April Grace (Ms. Joyce), Michael Pitt (Coleridge) and Michael Nouri (Dr. Spence). An uplifting example of deriving hope from hopelessness, `Finding Forrester' is an entertaining and moving testimony to the resilience and depth of the human spirit. It's a film that will stay with you long after the screen has gone dark, for there is much here to be savored and embraced; a film too good to be allowed to let pass you by. I rate this one 9/10.

Director Gus Van Sant also directed `Good Will Hunting' and this film has essentially the same plot. An underprivileged youth is discovered by a reclusive genius and is shepherded to his full potential. What GWH was to math, this film is to literature. They are such close cousins that Van Sant felt compelled to bring in Matt Damon for a cameo.

Regardless of the familiar plot, `Finding Forrester' succeeds because of an excellent screenplay and outstanding acting performances by Sean Connery, Rob Brown and F. Murray Abraham. This kind of story can't help grabbing the audience at a human level. Genius, suppressed by societal class, struggles to emerge and it beats the odds. The story is transcendent for both the main characters. Forrester (Sean Connery) helps Jamal (Rob Wallace) transcend his societal constraints to realize his potential as a writer, and Jamal helps Forrester to transcend the constraints of his emotional traumas to free him as a human being. It is a triumphant story, very uplifting.

Van Sant does a good job of presenting the human element and developing the characters while keeping the photography effective but in the background. The photography is very straightforward, allowing the characters to tell the story without the intrusive use of stylish shots that are all to prevalent lately. Van Sant gives Forrester's apartment a dark and dreary look from a color and lighting perspective, which is particularly effective.

Sean Connery is in top form and continues to make the case for being one of our best and most treasured actors. He gives a virtuoso performance in this film with a complex and ornery character. It is a powerful and moving portrayal. Rob Brown is phenomenal in his first feature film. He was found in a talent search and made an impressive debut with an extremely mature performance. With the right scripts, he has a good chance of having a bright future. F. Murray Abraham is fantastic as the haughty English teacher, who gets his just deserts.

This is a highly intelligent film with a strong story, steady direction and marvelous acting. I rated it a 9/10. Despite an all too familiar storyline, it differentiates itself by its wide-ranging excellence. For those who enjoy good dramatic performances and intriguing character studies, this film is not to be missed.

September 2004.... While walking through the aisles of Blockbuster in search of films my wife and I may have missed through the years, we stumbled on "Finding Forrester". I had a slight recollection of a recommendation from a friend some time ago. In a nutshell, we really enjoyed this film. Both main characters are charming and convincing. The story makes you think and is clever. If you liked "Good Will Hunting" you will probably like this movie too, since it has a similar flavor to it. Though the film is 4 years old, the story is timeless and worth watching. Enjoy, Jimmy