Les cavaliers du sud du Bronx

The genre of "inspired and unusual teachers who impact the lives of their students" goes back at least to "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939) and perhaps farther than that. Many of us still remember our reactions to "To Sir, With Love" (1967) and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969). The present effort, based on the founding of "Chess in the Schools" by David MacEnulty, doesn't rank with these "greats," but it's a respectable sentiment piece and makes up for its formulaic plot to some extent with notably excellent acting. I think Ted Danson is generally underrated, and his performance here is skillful and convincing. I don't know what the real-life MacEnulty was like, but I can imagine him being just about like Danson's portrayal. The five young people who constitute the "Knights" chess team are the heart of this movie, and all are serious actors, though a bit long-in-the-tooth to be in the fourth grade. One gets so accustomed to that misrepresentation, especially in American films, that it goes almost unnoticed. If you watch enough movies, you start to wonder why the real kids you know are so LITTLE! Anyway, this is a not-bad film with a good story to tell, and it won't give anybody nightmares.

In a time where critical thinking and being able to think "outside the box" are fundamental, this movie give hope to so many who don't have much exposure to things outside their little world. Not everyone in the USA even knows the wonder of your neighborhood library, or of an art / science / history museum, or has even been to a zoo. So many in our country are struggling just to learn to read. It gives hope to see these young children learn to master the game of chess, learn to know that they too can take a stand for what is right, for what they deserve. It also shows how rewarding it is to help show someone the way to a new way of learning, thinking, doing, being...to give hope.

I saw this movie, & I really enjoyed it!!!!!! Also, I loved the way the Ted Danson used the game of chess to get the Students motivated & so intrigued with the game, but also the way he insisted that "all homework" must be done and completed before all chess matches. I Feel that all students and teachers should view this movie( despite the foul language)!!!!!! It shows there are Teachers who care for students, though they are few in numbers, they are out there!!!!! And also, I think there should be more movies made in this fashion to tell the students there are people willing to go the distance for them!! Take for instance the woman who donated 4,000 + dollars so the team could go to nationals, or the kind gentlemen who graciously gave Mr. Mason the Money needed for clocks. I would like to do something in this nature but my income don't support me, but would like the students of our nation to know although teachers that care are scarce, they are out there!!!!!

Once in while we need to remember just what a teacher can do to make a difference. This is a movie that does just that. A story that helps us appreciate what a teacher can do to change a child's life. Sometimes what a kid needs is a teacher who understands that tests don't always represent intelligence. Sometimes we need a teacher who sees things a little different. We have seen this type of story hundreds of times in many different forms, but this wonderful little American underdog story has very good actors who make it very enjoyable. This movie joins all the great "feel good" movies that show us the many different ways people have escaped their beginnings. A simple story about success in a most unlikely setting. A very enjoyable "feel good" movie.

The director of this melodrama displays the customary tenuous grasp on how chess is played, and the mawkish sentimentality found in many an old school film. The actors do well to deliver the corny lines and represent the saintly kids of the Bronx.

Unfortunately I teach chess to kids in a school, voluntarily and not as part of any job, as do many chess teachers: and know that chess is the great underdog of the educational world. Hey, I'd be over the moon if some individual ever bunged in a quid or fiver to support the chess, never mind a few thousand dollars. So this film had me weeping uncontrollably all the way through, and I'd watch it again just to get in touch my emotions.

Kids, don't bang down on those clocks you'll break them, and Ted, don't swish the pieces at the and of the games, that would be the chess equivalent of spiking the football at the end of the game. OK, its only a film...sob, sob.