| Overall Grade: |
B |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
B+ |
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| Direction: |
B |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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Every journey begins with a single move.
by Leo - The Lion (movies profile)
Sep 19, 2007
8
of
8 people found this review helpful
This movie tells the story (based on fact) of seven-year-old chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin. It follows him from the time his gift is discovered until he wins a national championship. You should not avoid this movie if you know nothing about chess - it touches on many themes of broad interest, such as: being a good parent, dealing with lost dreams, handling success, living with disappointment, being yourself when it conflicts with the desires of others, examining the value of a balanced life, and the nature of art. Also, you need not worry about any half hour waits between chess moves - much of the chess played is speed chess and the serious games are telescoped so as to keep the attention of anyone who does not measure the quality of movie by the number of car crashes and explosions.
Among the many delights in this film, perhaps the greatest is the astoundingly natural performance of Max Pomeranc as Josh. It has to rank as one of the best performances by a child actor. His performance is so sensitive, heart-renderingly touching, joyful, serious, and believable that it must in large part be the achievement of the director. No kid could be that good naturally.
The rest of the cast is excellent as well. Joe Mantegna plays Josh's sportswriter father Fred with a simple, but subtle, directness, and Joan Allen plays Josh's mother Bonnie with a gritty warmth and understanding. She is very much plugged into Josh's emotional needs. Fred and Bonnie are a typical couple sincerely coping with the challenges of raising a kid with an exceptional talent.
Fred enlists the retired grand master Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley in another fine role) as Josh's teacher. Bruce is a strict disciplinarian who sees in Josh a way to redeem the joy he lost when chess wizard Bobby Fischer decided to disappear after winning the world championship in 1972. In addition to Bruce's desires for Josh, Fred is pushing Josh as hard and as fast as he will go. Whereas these two strong-willed men have their own desires for Josh, in a pivotal scene with each man, the endearing and gentle Josh leads each of them to understand that, while they may have been searching for Bobby Fischer, who they most assuredly have found is Josh Waitzkin.
Most of us are fascinated by genius, by talent beyond what we can imagine. Using this fact, the screenplay heightens our interest by cleverly interweaving documentary footage of Bobby Fischer. If you can remember back to the early 70's, you will recall that this prima-donna's prima-donna had such an effect on U.S. culture that you saw people playing chess in every public venue. Hard to believe from the current vantage point.
On occasion the musical score gets out of control, being more appropriate for a big-screen western epic, but in many scenes sound is used as an effective punctuation mark. The close-up sound of chess clocks being struck and pieces being moved provide an aural metaphor for the battles being waged on the chess boards.
Conrad Hall was justifiably nominated for an Oscar for best cinematography for this film. Who would have imagined that you could generate such interest and excitement by filming chess pieces, chess boards, and chess halls.
There are many wonderful and moving scenes in this movie. For example, Josh's first encounter with the game when he sees a motley group of hustlers engaged in speed chess matches in Washington Park. Josh is immediately transfixed. If you have ever experienced anything like this in your life, this scene will give you chills. Or the scene where Bruce first meets Josh in Josh's bedroom. Bruce enters the room with the reverence a devout Catholic would have in meeting with the Pope. Gingerly stepping around Josh's toys (the sound track calling attention with squeaking floors), Bruce absorbs the room's environment with the pleasure of an oenophile drinking an exceptional wine. Such is the intoxicating attractive power of genius in some men's lives.
Alternative Recommendations: The Luzhin Defence, The Graduate, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Catch Me If You Can. |
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