Finding Forrester (2000)

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer (WGA):

Mike Rich (written by)

Release Date:

19 December 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In an ordinary place, he found the one person to make his life extraordinary.

Plot:

An afro-american teen writing prodigy finds a mentor in a reclusive author.

Plot Keywords:

School | Writing | Basketball | New York | Recluse

Awards:

4 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Sean Connery	...	William Forrester
Rob Brown	...	Jamal Wallace
F. Murray Abraham	...	Prof. Robert Crawford
Anna Paquin	...	Claire Spence
Busta Rhymes	...	Terrell Wallace
April Grace	...	Ms. Joyce
Michael Pitt	...	John Coleridge
Michael Nouri	...	Dr. Spence
Richard Easton	...	Prof. Matthews
Glenn Fitzgerald	...	Massie, Forrester's Delivery Man
Lil' Zane	...	Damon (as Zane Copeland Jr.)
Stephanie Berry	...	Janice Wallace
Fly Williams III	...	Fly
Damany Mathis	...	Kenzo
Damion Lee	...	Clay

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references.

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37271) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:A | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden - 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Jim Titus (Student) was originally on the set as an extra. The director and assistant director, noticed him joking with the actress who played the teacher and they offered him a line in the film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At one point in the film Jamal mentions to Claire that, "It was Stamford... At the bar in London... He was the one who introduced Watson to Holmes", alluding to the Sherlock Holmes novels and stories. However, it wasn't at a bar in London where Stamford introduced Watson to Holmes but at a hospital's chemical laboratory near the bar.

Quotes:

Jamal: Did you ever enter a writin’ contest?
Forrester: Yeah, once.
Jamal: Did you win?
Forrester: Well of course I won!
Jamal: You win like money or somethin’?
Forrester: No.
Jamal: Well, whadchu win?
Forrester: The Pulitzer.

Movie Connections:

Features The Big Heat (1953)

Well-written and acted movie.

What a nice movie. Great plot, nice character development, and moments of brilliance. To be sure the story of a prodigy and brilliant but sometimes reluctant mentor has been told before, but this story is a unique and interesting take on the subject. Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) is a writing prodigy. His journey makes for riveting stuff.

Strengths of this movie? I love the depth to Jamal's character - he portrays the inner conflict the character feels without over-acting or unnecessary melodrama. The relationship with Forrester (Sean Connery) is a thing of beauty, in large part because Connery is (as usual) wonderful.

Downsides? Well, not any major ones in my opinion. You can nitpick almost any movie to death, but this movie is solid.

In the end, its strengths are great, its weaknesses are minimal, and the memorable touches here and there (moments of beauty between Forrester and Jamal, Busta Rhymes as Jamal's brother, and some beautiful quotes) make this a winner!