Movies about chess have, by their very nature, a limited audience; shunned by the multiplex crowds, it's fair to assume that makers of such movies with this topic may feel they have the freedom to relate a more cerebral tale, designed to appeal to the kind of person who is attracted to the game, although, of course, no movie about chess is really about chess it's about the people who play the game. It's curious, therefore, that writer/director Steve Zaillian, drawing from the book by the father of the real-life Josh Waitzkin, chooses to dress this movie in the same clothes of virtually every other sport' movie; that is, the tale of the driven loner who must overcome his inner doubts to achieve greatness.
Josh Waitzkin, adeptly portrayed by debutante Max Pomeranc, (who, incidentally, is also a ranked player) is an ordinary child with an amazing gift for chess. Inspired by the hustlers who play for money in Washington Square especially an aggressive hustler called Vinnie (Fishburne), who wins by unnerving his opponents as much as he does by his skill at the game Josh quickly rises through the ranks, supported by his father (Mantegna), who employs Bruce Pandolfini (Kingsley) to nurture the boys innate talent. The relationship between Pandolfini and the boy, although respectful, grows increasingly adversarial as the serious stuff begins and Josh's nerve begins to waver. Vinnie and Pandolfini represent opposite ends of the chess spectrum, each vying for Josh's loyalty
SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER is an entertaining, well-acted movie; its pace is leisurely but never flags, and it explores the relationships involved in the story intelligently, if a little shallowly at times (Josh's relationship with Vinnie potentially the most interesting of the story is especially under-written). Only Zaillian's decision to make Josh's youthful chess-playing nemesis a somewhat sinister figure (something along the lines of the single-browed baby who occasionally pops up in the Simpsons) is badly misjudged.
Zaillian seems conscious of the scarcity of a ready-made audience for this kind of tale, and strives to make chess something that it isn't exciting in an attempt to woo a larger audience. Thus, he allocates equal time to the high-speed duels of the junkies and losers' at Washington Square as they capture pieces at breathtaking speed in their two-minute sprints as he does to the lengthier, and more sedate combat of the tournament player. However, even during the tournament games, he chooses to have his participants slam their pieces on the board and smack the timer with exaggerated force in an attempt to inject excitement.
The film is shot through with darkness, hinting at the essentially introspective nature of the game and its participants; many of the scenes take place in darkened rooms populated by shadowy figures hunched over their pieces, and the chess-playing fraternity is portrayed as a rather mean-spirited lot, populated by embittered and eccentric men. The enigmatic figure of Bobby Fischer serves as both an icon and a symbol of the consequence of the pressures genius bestows upon its owner.
The concluding match, it has to be said, is very effectively staged, managing to wring every ounce of emotion from a potentially dry situation, although, regrettably, the story ultimately succumbs to genre convention once the game is over.
Josh Waitzkin, adeptly portrayed by debutante Max Pomeranc, (who, incidentally, is also a ranked player) is an ordinary child with an amazing gift for chess. Inspired by the hustlers who play for money in Washington Square especially an aggressive hustler called Vinnie (Fishburne), who wins by unnerving his opponents as much as he does by his skill at the game Josh quickly rises through the ranks, supported by his father (Mantegna), who employs Bruce Pandolfini (Kingsley) to nurture the boys innate talent. The relationship between Pandolfini and the boy, although respectful, grows increasingly adversarial as the serious stuff begins and Josh's nerve begins to waver. Vinnie and Pandolfini represent opposite ends of the chess spectrum, each vying for Josh's loyalty
SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER is an entertaining, well-acted movie; its pace is leisurely but never flags, and it explores the relationships involved in the story intelligently, if a little shallowly at times (Josh's relationship with Vinnie potentially the most interesting of the story is especially under-written). Only Zaillian's decision to make Josh's youthful chess-playing nemesis a somewhat sinister figure (something along the lines of the single-browed baby who occasionally pops up in the Simpsons) is badly misjudged.
Zaillian seems conscious of the scarcity of a ready-made audience for this kind of tale, and strives to make chess something that it isn't exciting in an attempt to woo a larger audience. Thus, he allocates equal time to the high-speed duels of the junkies and losers' at Washington Square as they capture pieces at breathtaking speed in their two-minute sprints as he does to the lengthier, and more sedate combat of the tournament player. However, even during the tournament games, he chooses to have his participants slam their pieces on the board and smack the timer with exaggerated force in an attempt to inject excitement.
The film is shot through with darkness, hinting at the essentially introspective nature of the game and its participants; many of the scenes take place in darkened rooms populated by shadowy figures hunched over their pieces, and the chess-playing fraternity is portrayed as a rather mean-spirited lot, populated by embittered and eccentric men. The enigmatic figure of Bobby Fischer serves as both an icon and a symbol of the consequence of the pressures genius bestows upon its owner.
The concluding match, it has to be said, is very effectively staged, managing to wring every ounce of emotion from a potentially dry situation, although, regrettably, the story ultimately succumbs to genre convention once the game is over.