Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

Joan Allen: Bonnie Waitzkin

Photos 

Quotes 

• Bonnie : He's not afraid of losing. He's afraid of losing your love. How many ball players grow up afraid of losing their fathers' love every time they come up to the plate?

  Fred : All of them!

  Bonnie : He knows you disapprove of him. He knows you think he's weak. But he's not weak. He's decent. And if you or Bruce or anyone else tries to beat that out of him, I swear to God I'll take him away.

• Bruce Pandolfini : It's white's move.

  Josh Waitzkin : How many points is it worth?

  Bruce Pandolfini : It's just an opening move.

  Josh Waitzkin : I want to know how much it's worth.

  Bruce Pandolfini : Just do it for its own sake. Do it for the love of the game.

  Josh Waitzkin : I want to know how many more points I am away to getting the certificate.

  Bruce Pandolfini : Forget the certificate.

  Josh Waitzkin : Why?

  Bruce Pandolfini : I don't know.

  Josh Waitzkin : What do you mean?

  Bruce Pandolfini : I don't care. It's... white's move.

  Josh Waitzkin : I want the certificate.

  Bruce Pandolfini : [sighs]  You want the certificate. You have to have the certificate.

  [gets briefcase] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : You won't move until you get the certificate.

  [opens it] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : Fine. You win.

  [gives him copy of certificate] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : Here's your certificate.

  Josh Waitzkin : [takes it] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : Fill it out. It doesn't mean anything. It's just a piece of paper. It's a xerox of a piece of paper. Do you want another one

  [gives Josh another copy] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : Do you want 10?

  [gives Josh few more copies] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : Do you want 20?

  [continues stacking them on chess board one-by-one] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : 30? I've got a whole briefcase full of them. They don't mean anything, though.

  Bonnie : [entering the room] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : They mean nothing.

  Bonnie : Get out of my house.

  Bruce Pandolfini : [sits there grimly a moment and then collects the certificates and prepares to leave] 

  Bonnie : [goes over to comfort Josh] 

  Bruce Pandolfini : [while getting coat on]  To put a child in a position to care about winning and not to prepare him is wrong.

  Bonnie : Get out of my house.

  Bruce Pandolfini : [leaves] 

  Bonnie : [comforts Josh] 

• Bruce Pandolfini : His chess ideas are like pieces of his body he's reluctant to give up. For instance, he simply can't cope with being told not to bring his queen out too early in the game. Why shouldn't he? He's won many a game in Washington Square doing exactly that, why is this suddenly wrong?

  Fred : Try getting him to brush his teeth sometime.

  Bruce Pandolfini : What I'm trying to teach him and what he's learning there are two very different things. Park hustlers play tactics, not position. They rely on wild, unpredictable moves meant to intimidate their opponent. Great in a two-minute speed game for drug money, but it'll cost Josh dearly in real games.

  Fred : Well, he's learning some new words!

  Bruce Pandolfini : I was wondering if you could keep him from playing there so much.

  Fred : Sure.

  Bonnie : No. It'd kill him not to play in the park. He loves it.

  Bruce Pandolfini : It just makes my job harder.

  Bonnie : Then your job's harder.

• Bonnie : You have a good heart. And that's the most important thing in the world.