Amazon.com: Steve Zaillian, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Schindler's List, made his directorial debut with this critically acclaimed but little-seen drama based on the nonfiction book by Fred Waitzkin, about a father (Joe Mantegna) who discovers that his seven-year-old son (Max Pomeranc) is a genius at playing chess. The boy plays chess for fun, but when he's tutored by a former champion (Ben Kingsley) and entered into high-pressure competitions, an enjoyable pastime becomes a source of tension and resentment, forcing the father to reconsider his parental priorities. A poignant study of the difference between parental idealism and proper parenting, the movie is also an observantly witty portrait of a precocious child who is still, after all, a child, and still eager for the joyful discoveries of youth. While offering a fascinating look into the world of competitive chess, the movie's dramatically engrossing and extremely well-acted by a brilliant cast that also includes David Paymer, William H. Macy, and Dan Hedaya in memorable supporting roles. --Jeff Shannon
a movie you can watch more than once a movie you and your family can watch more than once. Excellent acting and character development.
Excellent I bought this film for a friend whom I played over 50 chess games with (2 of which I one and he tutored me on chess theory throughout) as a graduation gift. I hadn't even heard of kinsley and didn't even recognize fishburne when I first saw this, nowadays I'd recommend the movie just for those actors alone, but even without the "good acting" the movie pace and plot has a mesmerizing feel. This -- along with a lot of kingsley's acting -- just has an incredible flow to it. Excellent film.
One of my guilty pleasures Having seen this film in the theatres when it first came out, I've always had a fondness for this film. So there is no need for explanation about why I've seen this film at least six times. It's got a marvelous cast, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Joan Allen, Laura Linney, Dab Hedaya, William H. Macy, the list goes on. And what seals the deal is a breakthrough performance from first time actor Max Pomeranc, who shines as the seven year old Josh Waitzkin. The script was wonderful. But what else would you expect in 1993 from the screenwriter who penned Schindler's List? What was amazing though was that Zaillian also directed the film with as much panache and grace with which he wrote the screenplay. And to top it off, Zaillian found a way to shoot chess and make it exciting! I was so glad to finally buy this film, I'm going to show it to all my friends and show them what really good filmmaking looks like.
Brilliant! I'm excited to show this to my six year old who's fallen in love with chess. I've seen this many times and look forward to watching it again and again. This truly is a precious gem!
Great movie, so-so DVD Great movies are never what they seem to be about on the surface, they always touch on larger themes. "Searching For Bobby Fischer" is not about chess, although a lot of chess is played in the movie. It's not about Bobby Fischer either, although Josh (Max Pomeranc), the movie's central character, mythologizes about him quite a bit (as a player, not, thankfully, in light of some of Fischer's bizarre proclivities, as a person).
This film is about not living vicariously through your children, and having a full and complete life. The movie's tagline: "He wasn't afraid of losing a match...just his father's love" makes the whole affair sound more cloying than it actually is. Josh Waitzkin is a real person (and still the highest ranked player in the US in his age group) whose father is a sportswriter. Fred Waitzkin (Joe Mategna), after getting over his initial discomfort at losing to his son in chess, realizes how talented the boy is and arranges for lessons with chess teacher Bruce Pandolfini (played by Kingsley) and, later, signs him up for tournaments where he discovers that, while being a certified prodigy, Josh lacks the killer instinct we generally think that our champions have to have in any competitive endeavor. How the adults in Josh's life cope with this, and how they help him cope with it, forms the core of the movie.
How Steven Zallian (who wrote the screenplay for Schindler's List, also released in '93, but directing for the first time here) managed to get this cast I'll never know. Mantegna is a Tony award winner (for Glengarry Glen Ross), Ben Kingsley is an Academy Award winner, and Joan Allen and Laurence Fishburne are Academy Award nominees and those are just the lead roles. In addition, Laura Linney, William H. Macy, and David Paymer also went on to become Academy Award nominees and people like Tony Shalhoub, Dan Hedaya, and Anthony Heald turn up in small parts. Needless to say, the performances are outstanding.
But it doesn't stop there--the talent behind the camera is equally as impressive. The Producer is Scott Rudin (who accepted the Oscar for Best Picture this year for No Country For Old Men) and the film was exec produced by Sydney Pollack. Two time Academy Award winner (for American Beauty and The Road To Perdition) Conrad L. Hall is the movie's Director of Photography and, like any movie he ever shot (Butch Cassidy and The Sundace Kid, All the President's Men), the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at. Even the film's composer, James Horner, is an Oscar winner (for Titanic).
In the that's-kind-of-cool department, real life chess champions (Joel Benjamin and Kamran Shirazi to name a few) turn up as themselves and the real Bruce Pandolfini and Katya Waitzkin (Josh's sister) have cameos.
The film handles the questions on the importance of winning and the sacrifices it sometimes entails (nobody would want to have lived Bobby Fischer's life) with grace and sensitivity. Add it all up and you have a wonderful gem of a movie, one that isn't just for chess lovers.
This particular DVD release is not a good one--there are no extras of any kind which is odd since even the VHS version of the movie had some extras. Still this is a movie to treasure.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
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