Robert Redford's latest film, "The Legend of Bagger Vance," is exactly everything you expect it to be. It is unlikely that anyone will be disappointed by it, while no one will be surprised by it either. In other words, "Bagger Vance" is "Good Will Hunting" meets "The Horse Whisperer" and "Ordinary People." You can see every generic formula and cliché coming from miles away while watching this film.
The Legend of Bagger Vance - PG-13
Starring:
WIll Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron
Directed by:
Robert Redford
Now playing:
Showplace East 11
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We have Matt Damon playing the obligatory young Redford/Will Hunting role -- a troubled golfer named Rannulph Junuh who is unable to play up to his potential. Will Smith plays Junuh's caddie, Bagger Vance, who basically serves as the horse whisperer or Will Hunting's therapist in the film. Despite stealing a number of scenes, Charlize Theron plays Junuh's insignificant love interest, Adele Invergordon.
Haunted by his wartime memories, once successful golfer Junuh secludes himself from the rest of the world and decides to drink and gamble his life away. Junuh's old flame Adele decides to organize a golf tournament and invites him to compete with world class golfers Walter Hagen (Bruce McGill) and Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch). Junuh can't find his swing, and Bagger Vance literally shows up out of nowhere to offer his wisdom.
Nearly half of the movie's long-running time is devoted to that one climactic golf tournament. Not surprisingly, it's a tug of war among the three golfers, and guess who triumphs in the end?
"The Legend of Bagger Vance" is a feel-good movie with a positive message, but the predictability of the plot is almost an insult to the viewers' intelligence. The screenplay is full of sloppy shorthand that screenwriter Jeremy Leven assumed moviegoers can understand. The film's characters are carelessly drawn, and plots are half-baked. Damon and Smith are solid, but they are basically playing roles they can play in their sleep.
Even though many will find "The Legend of Bagger Vance" enjoyable, it is a waste of most moviegoers' time.
