The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Robert Redford

Writers (WGA):

Steven Pressfield (novel)
Jeremy Leven (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 November 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Golf | Game | Golfer | Caddy | Golf Course

Awards:

2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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
Lane Smith	...	Grantland Rice
Peter Gerety	...	Neskaloosa
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

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37600) | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | Canada:PG | Italy:T | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Allied Filmmakers

Trivia:

Matt Damon did not have any previous experience playing golf; he spent a month with golf pro Tim Moss in Hilton Head, South Carolina, to prepare for the role.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Bagger is instructing Junuh about "The Field", (Second Round, first day) he hands him a ball on a red tee. The tee is a plastic one. (Note the shape of the tee having a notch for fingers, rather than a single surface tee). At that era the tees were all wood. Plastic tees were not introduced to the game until the 1990's and did not become official for tournament play until late that decade.

Quotes:

Walter Hagen: The meaning of it all is that there is no meaning.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Soundtrack:

In Paradisium

Will Smith and Matt Damon playing golf for two hours, much better than it sounds

The thing you have to bear in mind when watching The Legend of Bagger Vance is that sports movies, by their very definition, tend to match the atmosphere of the sport they depict. Football or Ice hockey movies for instance tend to be loud, bombastic and flashy, just like the games themselves. Basketball movies meanwhile often rely on the street/hip hop connection and are just as loud, but with a slightly more gritty edge to them, provided you completely forget about the atrocious Space Jam. Bagger Vance on the other hand revolves entirely around golf and consequently, is a lot quieter, slower paced and gentle than its brash genre cousins, but it nevertheless possesses a charm and subtlety that is quite endearing.

Told completely in flashback, the film's story involves Matt Damon's depressed World War One veteran Rannulph Junnuh taking part in a highly publicised golf tournament against two established (real life) professionals - Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. At first things don't look good, Junnuh hasn't played the game since getting back from the trenches and is a slovenly drunken washout and despite having the support of the townsfolk, nobody really expects him to win. And then he gets a new caddy in the shape of Bagger Vance (Will Smith).

At this point I imagine alarm bells are ringing in your head. Will Smith must mean wise-cracking, one-liners and the word 'damn' being stretched out so that it consists of two syllables right? Well you'll be relieved to know that Bagger is a pleasant change of direction for the normal Smith stereotype. Relaxing on his heels and working his acting muscles instead of his action hero ones, Smith is the undeniable soul of the movie. His eminently likable charm is still there, but he relies more on home spun wisdom and gentle prodding to help Damon back into his game, rather than calling him a honkey and effecting a cocky swagger. Playing off against him, Matt Damon is suitably vulnerable and insecure but is overshadowed a bit and with the exception of Junnuh's two rivals, the rest of the cast might as well be superfluous. Thankfully, Junnuh's redemption and Vance's easy going friendship is enough to carry the film and the story, while corny, is just as charming as the title character.

Elsewhere, director Robert Redford once again shows off his knack for beautiful cinematography. As most of the film takes place on golf courses you're never too far away from some gorgeous scenery and the contrast between the vibrant green vegetation and stunning blue sky makes Bagger Vance a feast for the eyes. Given the film's somewhat slow pace, it also makes this an ideal choice for a wet Sunday afternoon where you'd like to go for a walk and appreciate the countryside but are unable to thanks to the rain.

That said, Bagger Vance still has its faults. The writing is a bit hackneyed and anyone who doesn't like cheese would do well to stay away. Junnuh's love interest sub-plot with golf promoter Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron) meanwhile feels tacked on and unnecessary, as though somewhere along the production line someone decided that if Junnuh was to fully come to terms with himself he'd have to get it on with a sweet country belle. The positives outweigh the negatives though and if you're in the mood for a relaxing, slow paced movie with a lot of subtleties that not everyone will appreciate, you can't really go wrong with Bagger Vance. This is a film to watch with your feet up, the house clean and a big mug of hot chocolate in your hand. And refreshingly enough for a sports movie, it doesn't feature a scene where a big crowd begins cheering wildly while over-the-top power ballads play in the background, that alone should be enough to raise an eyebrow or two.