Searching for Bobby Fischer
by Steven Zaillian
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DVD details
Actor: Ben Kingsley, Joan Allen, Joe Mantegna, Laurence Fishburne, Max PomerancDirector: Steven Zaillian
Brand: Team Marketing
Cinematographer: Conrad L. Hall
Writer: Steven Zaillian
Producer: David Wisnievitz
Producer: Scott Rudin
Producer: Sydney Pollack
Producer: William Horberg
Writer: Fred Waitzkin
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-07-11
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Searching for Bobby Fischer
DVD Review: Very pleased customer! Thank you!
Summary: 5 Stars
Item was in excellent condition, still in celephane wrapper. Thank you! My husband was thrilled!DVD Review: A Movie Almost Everyone Likes
Summary: 5 Stars
Here's another one of those family-type stories that almost everyone likes because you care about the main character so much. In this case, it's a young boy, played very well by Max Pomeranc. It's also based on a true story which makes you care even more and root harder for the nice kid.
The idea of knocking pushy parents in kids' competition is fine but it's a little overworked here and you also get the normal PC angle in today's films where a black and white is concerned. In this film, it's Max's chess tutors. Those two teachers are the most interesting adults in here, but then again, where have you seen Ben Kingsley and Samuel L. Jackson NOT be entertaining?
Add Joe Mantegna and Joan Allen as the parents and you have a nice cast, along with an involving story and pretty nice photography. Interspersed in this story of a chess prodigy are film clips of the famous and very eccentric Bobby Fischer, whom the movie is named after. Young Pomeranc narrates those segments.
This was one of those truly solid "feel-good" movies of its year, which says a lot because 1993 produced an incredible amount of great pictures. Since it's so nicely-photographed, I'd like to see this get a good Blu-Ray treatment, too.
DVD Review: Searching for Bobby Fischer DVD
Summary: 1 Stars
As of 033009 I have yet to receive this purchase. (Ordered on 022609) Have e-mailed and asked about the dellivery; no response.
Not sure what to do now.
DVD Review: ARE GENIUS & SUCCES AS A HUMAN BEING MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE?
Summary: 5 Stars
The film is based on the true story of Josh Waitzkin and his family. What happens when a sportswriter, who has just given his son a new baseball glove for his 7th birthday, discovers that his son prefers chess over baseball. He not only prefers it but he is a child prodigy. He could be another Bobby Fischer. Unfortunately, as we see in flashbacks of Fischer's career throughout the film, being a genius and world champion did not necessarily make you a human success story. The question is: are genius and success as a human being mutually exclusive? Can you be a child prodigy and a 'normal' child? The film does a great job of exploring that question as we see the family struggle with first, Josh's gifts, and then, how to best use the incredible talent he has for visualizing the game of chess. As Josh says to one of his opponents during a match, 'It's over. You just don't know it yet." Genius sees things the rest of us mortals do not. The acting is superb, the cinematography, especially of the chess tournaments, is amazing, and the degree to which the film addresses the question of genius versus having a life is sometimes heartbreaking. A film that will challenge you and inspire you. You don't need to be a chess fan or even know anything about the game to enjoy this one. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. DVD Review: 2.5 stars out of 4
Summary: 3 Stars
The Bottom Line:
A movie which begins as an insightful look into the depressing world of American chess prodigies, Searching for Bobby Fischer ultimately disappoints due to a slavish love of formula; worth watching for chess-lovers, it's nonetheless a movie that could have been a lot more.
Description of Searching for Bobby Fischer
Josh Waitzkin is just a typical American boy interested in baseball when one day he challenges his father at chess and wins. Showing unusual precocity at the outdoor matches at Washington Square in New York City, he quickly makes friends with a hustler named Vinnie who teaches him speed chess. Josh's parents hire a renowned chess coach, Bruce, who teaches Josh the usefulness of measured planning. Along the way Josh becomes tired of Bruce's system and chess in general and purposely throws a match, leaving the prospects of winning a national championship in serious jeopardy.Steve Zaillian, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Schindler's List, made his directorial debut with this critically acclaimed but little-seen drama based on the nonfiction book by Fred Waitzkin, about a father (Joe Mantegna) who discovers that his seven-year-old son (Max Pomeranc) is a genius at playing chess. The boy plays chess for fun, but when he's tutored by a former champion (Ben Kingsley) and entered into high-pressure competitions, an enjoyable pastime becomes a source of tension and resentment, forcing the father to reconsider his parental priorities. A poignant study of the difference between parental idealism and proper parenting, the movie is also an observantly witty portrait of a precocious child who is still, after all, a child, and still eager for the joyful discoveries of youth. While offering a fascinating look into the world of competitive chess, the movie's dramatically engrossing and extremely well-acted by a brilliant cast that also includes David Paymer, William H. Macy, and Dan Hedaya in memorable supporting roles. --Jeff Shannon
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