The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)

A down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddy.

Director:

Robert Redford

Writers:

Steven Pressfield (novel), Jeremy Leven (screenplay)

Stars:

Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron

2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Smith	...	Bagger Vance
Matt Damon	...	Rannulph Junuh
Charlize Theron	...	Adele Invergordon
Bruce McGill	...	Walter Hagen
Joel Gretsch	...	Bobby Jones
J. Michael Moncrief	...	Hardy Greaves
Peter Gerety	...	Neskaloosa
Lane Smith	...	Grantland Rice
Michael O'Neill	...	O.B. Keeler
Thomas Jay Ryan	...	Spec Hammond
Trip Hamilton	...	Frank Greaves
Dermot Crowley	...	Dougal McDermott
Harve Presnell	...	John Invergordon
Danny Nelson	...	McManus
Bob Penny	...	Laidlaw

Storyline

A disillusioned war veteran, Captain Rannulph Junah, reluctantly agrees to play a game of golf. He finds the game futile until his caddy, Bagger Vance, teaches him the secret of the authentic golf stroke which turns out also to be the secret to mastering any challenge and finding meaning in life.

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Plot Keywords:

golf | caddy | golfer | game | golf course | 

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Taglines:

Some Things Can't Be Learned. They Must Be Remembered.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

La légende de Bagger Vance

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£149,149 (UK) (2 March 2001)

Gross:

ESP 249,852,469 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, DreamWorks SKG, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS DTS-ES

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, the lead roles were going to be played by Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford. But, after careful consideration, Redford decided that the movie would work better with younger men playing Rannulph Junuh and Bagger Vance.

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Goofs

During the tournament when Junuh strikes the ball on his first tee shot and on his final putt the sound of the club striking the ball is heard before the club head makes contact.

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Quotes

Hardy Greaves: I heard my dad say that you won every golf tournament there ever was in the South and how you hit a drive so long that they made you stop playin for 20 minutes just to measure it for a record... and how you used to swing righty, but you were in the woods once by this tree so there was no room to swing righty... so you borrowed somebody's lefty club and hit the ball six inches from the hole...

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Connections

Featured in HBO First Look: The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)

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Soundtracks

"My Best Wishes"
Performed by Fats Waller

User Reviews

Another Excellent Fantasy-Sports Film

I usually like fantasy movies and I really enjoy sports films. Combine the two well - like "Field Of Dreams" and like this movie - and I am sure to rate this extremely high. I've seen it three times and enjoyed it immensely each time.

It reminded me a bit, too, of "The Natural," but instead of baseball, this one features golf and real-life legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen playing the local guy, "Rannulph Junuh" (Matt Damon). Like "The Natural," this is beautifully photographed, has a wonderful feel-good ending, a variety of characters, a beautiful lead woman and good acting.

The no-name child actor in here, J. Michael Moncrief, who plays "Hardy Greaves," narrates the film as an older man looking back on this story. The kid is a fine actor, too, and I really enjoyed his Georgia accent. Charlize Theron is the beauty, playing "Adele Invergordon," a woman who organizes this famous golf match between the greatest amateur player of the world, the best professional and "Junuh," who is the focus of this story. Theron's known for her dramatic roles but she exhibits a nice comedy touch in here.

Damon does his normal fine job of acting and Will Smith, as the angelic caddie "Bagger Vance," is uncharacteristically low-key, which I found nice to see. Bruce Magill did a good as Hagen and Joel Gretsch, likewise, for Jones. Magill is obviously the best real-life golfer here among these actors. Damon had to learn the game from scratch, and did a fine job with his swing.

The only part of this film that went a little overboard - but it's the fantasy part of the story - was the New Age-type preaching by "Bagger." However, some of his speeches were simply golf visualization, which has always been taught as a means to concentrate better on one's shot-making. I didn't think hearing the Lord's name in vain a half dozen times was necessary in here, either, but what are you gonna do? Other than those things, this is great film and I one I throughly appreciate every time I see it.