Finding Forrester (2000)

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer (WGA):

Mike Rich (written by)

Release Date:

12 January 2001 (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 | Inner City | Recluse

Awards:

4 wins & 11 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
Tom Kearns	...	Coach Garrick
Matthew Noah Word	...	John Hartwell
Charles Bernstein	...	Dr. Simon
Matt Malloy	...	David Bradley
Matt Damon	...	Steven Sanderson
Jimmy Bobbitt	...	Rapper
Capital Jay	...	Opposing Player
Jim Titus	...	Student (as James T. Williams II)
Cassandra Kubinski	...	Claire's Friend
Sophia Wu	...	Librarian
Gerry Rosenthal	...	Student Speaker
Tim Hall	...	Student Manager
Tom Mullica	...	Old Money Man
David Madison	...	Kid in the Hall
Joey Buttafuoco	...	Night Man
Jaime McCaig	...	Referee
William Modeste	...	Referee
Daniel Rodriguez	...	Hallway Boy
Samuel Tyson	...	Creston Player
Vince Giordano	...	Big Band Leader
Gregory Singer	...	Violinist
Dean Pratt	...	Trumpet Player
Kerry MacKillop	...	Trumpet Player
Harvey Tibbs	...	Trombone Player
Jack Stuckey	...	Sax Player
Mark Lopeman	...	Sax Player
Marc Phaneuf	...	Sax Player
Larry Wade	...	Sax Player
Conal Fowkes	...	Piano Player
Matt Munisteri	...	Guitarist
John Meyers	...	Drummer
Ron Morgan	...	Mailor Priest
Alison Folland	...	Jeopardy Contestant
Alex Trebek	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brett Barsky	...	Student (uncredited)
Alexander Conti	...	Little Boy (uncredited)
Joe Crosson	...	Student (uncredited)
Jessica Leshnower	...	(uncredited)
Randi Rosenholtz	...	Student (uncredited)
Gus Van Sant	...	Library Assistant (uncredited)

Directed by
Gus Van Sant

Writing credits (WGA)
Mike Rich		(written by)

Produced by
Sean Connery	....	producer
Jonathan King	....	executive producer
Laurence Mark	....	producer
Rhonda Tollefson	....	producer
Dany Wolf	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Harris Savides

Film Editing by
Valdís Óskarsdóttir		(as Valdis Oskarsdottir)

Casting by
Francine Maisler
Bernard Telsey
David Vaccari

Production Design by
Jane Musky

Art Direction by
Robert Guerra
Darrell K. Keister

Set Decoration by
Susan Bode		(as Susan Tyson)
Lynn Tonnessen		(as B. Lynn Tonnessen)

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Michal Bigger	....	key makeup artist
Mario Cacioppo	....	makeup artist: Toronto
Veronica Ciandre	....	hair stylist: Toronto
Linda Grimes	....	key makeup artist
Stanley Hall	....	key hair stylist
Melanie Hughes	....	makeup artist: Mr. Connery (as Melanie R. Hughes)
John Quaglia	....	key hair stylist (as John D. Quaglia)
Lyndell Quiyou	....	hair stylist: Mr. Connery
James Sarzotti	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Michele Giordano	....	production supervisor
Jim Powers	....	production manager: Toronto (as James Powers)
Tom Razzano	....	unit production manager
Dany Wolf	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fareshta Ahmadi	....	dga trainee
Bruno Bryniarski	....	second assistant director: Toronto
Dylan Hopkins	....	second second assistant director
Amy Lynn	....	second assistant director
Kirsteen McLean	....	third assistant director: Toronto
Julie O'Neill	....	trainee assistant director: Toronto
John Sauvé	....	trainee assistant director: Toronto
David J. Webb	....	first assistant director (as David Webb)

Art Department
Ann Marie Auricchio	....	scenic artist
Roger Baron	....	property buyer
Tory Bellingham	....	property master: Toronto
Joseph Deluca	....	on-set dresser (as Joseph M. Deluca)
David Evans	....	on-set dresser: Toronto
Arvinder Grewal	....	art director: Toronto
Denise Gurkas	....	camera scenic artist
Thomas E. Halligan	....	key construction grip
Joanna Tracey Heaton	....	art department assistant: Toronto
Philip Kennedy	....	scenic artist
Eric Lewin	....	set dresser
Carolyn 'Cal' Loucks	....	set decorator: Toronto
John Mackenzie	....	construction coordinator: Toronto
Vinny Mazzarella	....	assistant props
James Mazzola	....	property master (as James R. Mazzola)
Fred Merusi	....	construction coordinator
Rhonda Moscoe	....	art department coordinator
Louis J. Porzio	....	key carpenter
Jeff Poulis	....	assistant props: Toronto (as Jeffrey Poulis)
Reet Puhm	....	key scenic: Toronto
John Ralbovsky	....	scenic artist
Sandy Smirle	....	assistant art director: Toronto (as Sandra L. Smirle)
Eric Taylor	....	key carpenter: Toronto
Patricia Walker	....	scenic charge person
Dave Weinman	....	lead man
Joan Winters	....	graphic designer
Alexandre Athané	....	comic art (uncredited)
Mike Bundlie	....	graphic designer (uncredited)
Carlos Caneca	....	lead man: Toronto (uncredited)
Jay Durrwachter	....	production illustrator (uncredited)
Kathryn Freund	....	assistant props (uncredited)
Jamie Mullins	....	art department coordinator: New York (uncredited)

Sound Department
Peter Appleton	....	adr editor
Kelley Baker	....	supervising sound editor (as Kelley Baker)
Frank Canonica	....	supervising sound recordist: mix stage
Matt Cluett	....	sound transferer
David A. Cohen	....	dialogue editor
Steve Fontano	....	foley mixer
Michael 'Gonzo' Gandsey	....	sound effects editor (as Michael Gandsey)
Paul Koronkiewicz	....	boom operator
Owen Langevin	....	sound mixer: Toronto
Brian Miksis	....	production sound mixer
Marnie Moore	....	foley artist
Richard Moore	....	sound effects editor
Margie O'Malley	....	foley artist
David Parker	....	re-recording mixer
Chris Potter	....	sound effects editor
Neil Riha	....	additional utility sound: New York
Frank Rinella	....	sound recordist
Dennis S. Sands	....	pre-mix engineer (as Dennis Sands)
Erika Schengili-Roberts	....	boom operator: Toronto
Burton Sharp	....	adr supervisor
Leslie Shatz	....	re-recording mixer
Concha Solano	....	assistant sound editor
Patti Tauscher	....	foley editor
Jim Thompson	....	boom operator: Toronto (as James L. Thompson Jr.)
Gus Van Sant	....	re-recording mixer
Alfredo Viteri	....	boom operator
Patrick Winters	....	sound effects editor
Howard London	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Michael Kavanagh	....	special effects coordinator
Derek Liscoumb	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Syd Dutton	....	additional visual effects: Illusion Art, Inc.
Caroline Gibb	....	production coordinator: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Dipankar Goswamy	....	digital compositor: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Nick Hsieh	....	digital compositor: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Mark Kenaston	....	digital artist
Shane Kinnear	....	visual effects executive producer: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Michael Kowalski	....	production manager: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Tanya Kuzmanovic-Howard	....	production coordinator: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Daniel Lee	....	digital compositor: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Bob Munroe	....	visual effects supervisor
Ken Ouellette	....	animation supervisor
Barbara Shaw	....	production coordinator: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
John A. Shaw	....	technical support: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Bill Taylor	....	additional visual effects: Illusion Art, Inc.
Claude Theriault	....	digital compositor: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Tracey Vaz	....	digital compositor: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Michael Wile	....	digital compositor: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures
Alphonso Young	....	digital compositor: C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures

Stunts
G.A. Aguilar	....	stunt coordinator (as George Aguilar)
Blaise Corrigan	....	stunts
Tom Farr	....	stunts
Richard Hughes	....	stunts
Jamie Jones	....	stunts
Carl Paoli	....	stunt driver
Paul Rutledge	....	stunts
Al Thompson	....	stunts
Dave Van Zeyl	....	stunts
Cort Hessler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stephen A. Pope	....	stunts (uncredited)
Al Thompson	....	stunt double: Robert Brown (uncredited)
Kym Washington	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Scotty Allan	....	gaffer: Toronto
Sam Bojin	....	best boy electric: Toronto (as Samuel Bojin)
Bob Brennan	....	best boy grip (as Robert A. Brennan)
Craig Bulmer	....	electrician
Michael Cambria	....	second assistant camera: New York
Caesar S. Carnevale	....	film loader: New York (as Caeser S. Carnevale)
Mark Cyre	....	assistant camera: Toronto
Cesare DiGiulio	....	rigging best boy: Toronto
Thomas Dolan	....	best boy electric (as Thomas W. Dolan)
Gregory Farrell	....	best boy
Gregory Farrell	....	rigging electrician
Jay Fortune	....	gaffer
Roland Gauvin	....	rigging grip: Toronto
Heinz Gloss	....	rigging electric best boy: Toronto (as Heinz D. Gloss)
Glen Goodchild	....	best boy grip: Toronto
Wayne Goodchild	....	key grip: Toronto
Craig Haagensen	....	camera operator: New York
Steve Kolodziej	....	24 frame video operator
Jim Krauter	....	dolly grip: Toronto
George Kraychyk	....	still photographer: Toronto
James Malone	....	rigging gaffer (as James V. Malone)
Larry McConkey	....	Steadicam operator
Kevin McKenna	....	video assist operator
Phil Oetiker	....	camera operator: Toronto (as Philip W. Oetiker)
Billy Patsos	....	key rigging grip (as William Patsos)
George Patsos	....	key grip (as George Patsos Jr.)
James Pollard	....	dolly grip (as James H. Pollard)
Eric Swanek	....	first assistant camera: New York
Davidson Tate	....	rigging electric: Toronto
Demmie Todd	....	still photographer
Neil Trafford	....	assistant camera: Toronto
Greg Williams	....	video assist operator: Toronto
Richard Gioia	....	camera operator: "b" camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Kathy Driscoll	....	casting associate (as Kathleen Driscoll-Mohler)
Lori Eastside	....	extras casting
Emily Palmer	....	extras casting assistant
Victoria Pettibone	....	casting associate: New York
Nancy Safran	....	casting assistant
Jon Scott Strotheide	....	casting associate (as Jon Strotheide)
Bill Woods	....	casting associate: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joanna Brett	....	wardrobe supervisor
Cori Burchell	....	wardrobe: Toronto
Barrett Hong	....	wardrobe supervisor: Mr. Connery (as Barrett P. Hong)
Iris Horta Lemos	....	set costumer (as Iris H. Lemos)
Donna Maloney	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Donna M. Maloney)
Amy Roth	....	key costumer (as Amy T. Roth)
Andre Schulz	....	costumer: Toronto
Marcia Scott	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Clare Bambrough	....	assistant film editor (as Clare Mara Bambrough)
Angela Barton	....	assistant film editor
Kent Blocher	....	assistant film editor
Helen Hand	....	first assistant editor
Berenicci Hershorn	....	apprentice film editor
Kathy LaCommare	....	assistant film editor
Eric Rigney	....	avid technician
Stephen R. Sheridan	....	color timer (as Steve Sheridan)
Dawn M. Stoliar	....	assistant film editor
Tim Wilson	....	assistant film editor
Paul Zucker	....	assistant film editor
Tim Fox	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Bill Holley	....	colorist (uncredited)
Barry Malawski	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Bill Brown	....	music arranger
Bill Frisell	....	composer: additional score
Charlie Haden	....	musician: bass
Lisa Jaime	....	music editor
Kenneth Karman	....	supervising music editor (as Ken Karman)
Lesley Langs	....	assistant music editor
Hal Willner	....	music supervisor
Hal Willner	....	original score producer
Herbie Hancock	....	musician (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Ron Annabelle	....	driver
Steven R. Hammond	....	transportation captain
Stuart Mitchell	....	transportation co-captain: Toronto
Eugene O'Neill	....	transportation co-captain
Steven Sacrob	....	driver
Dave Staples	....	transportation captain: Toronto
Mitchel Stewart	....	driver captain

Other crew
Trish Adlesic	....	location manager
Casey Affleck	....	assistant: Gus Van Sant
Casey Affleck	....	technical consultant
Chad Ahrendt	....	assistant: Mr. Mark
Petra Alexandria	....	executive: Imp
Gerry Alfonso	....	payroll accountant
John 'Frenchie' Berger	....	armorer
Luc Bernard	....	assistant production accountant: Toronto
David F. Bianculli	....	production assistant
Tami Cassell	....	adr loop group
Noreen R. Cheleden	....	production assistant
Lee Ann Cotton	....	office production assistant: Toronto
Marty Dejczak	....	location manager
Rob Dickerson Jr.	....	production assistant (as Robert Dickerson Jr.)
Rebecca Donaghe	....	assistant: Ms. Tollefson
Roy Emerson	....	stand-in: Mr. Connery
David Farr	....	accounting clerk
Kerin Ferallo	....	production coordinator
James Fraser	....	production secretary: Toronto
Cliff Fuller	....	assistant production coordinator
Ginger Gonzalez	....	production assistant
David Graham	....	assistant location manager
Rodrigo Guerrero	....	production assistant
Jay Hernandez	....	assistant: Dany Wolf
Dan Jones	....	production assistant
Larry Kaplan	....	unit publicist
Santena Jenaris King	....	second assistant accountant
Danna Kinsky	....	production assistant
Amanda Ladd	....	payroll accountant
Sam Lisenco	....	pre-production coordinator
Sean Longley	....	key craft service
Francis Maiorino	....	location scout
Eric Mansur	....	assistant: Mr. Mark
Pamela S. Marshall	....	production secretary
David McIlroy	....	location manager: Toronto
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach: Anna Paquin (as Tim F. Monich)
Nancy Neumann	....	studio teacher
Murphy Occhino	....	production assistant
Julie Oppenheimer	....	script supervisor
Barry Papick	....	acting coach
Kwame Parker	....	assistant production coordinator: Toronto (as Kwame L. Parker)
Antonia Proscia	....	assistant production accountant
Gary S. Rake	....	production assistant
Lynnette Ramirez	....	assistant: Ms. Tollefson
Tim Ray	....	office production assistant
Jeremy Rizzi	....	assistant: Mr. Van Sant
Lin Saunders	....	assistant location manager
Kevin Michael Schembri	....	second assistant accountant
Burton Sharp	....	adr group coordinator
Sue Sparling	....	second assistant accountant
Beverly Sutton	....	production coordinator: Toronto
Joyce Tollefson	....	assistant: Mr. Connery
Ajamu Walker	....	production assistant
Jeff Wallace	....	assistant: Mr. King
Cassidy Watkins	....	assistant: Mr. Connery, Toronto
Elson Williams III	....	production assistant (as Elson C. Williams III)
Nadine F. Wilson	....	production accountant (as Nadine Wilson)
Tomoko Yamamoto	....	assistant accountant
Wendy Ann Zellea	....	office production assistant: Toronto
Frank Cattano	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Thomas Maxwell	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Howard Samuelsohn	....	dialect coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Finding Forrester Productions
• Fountainbridge Films
• Laurence Mark Productions

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (2000) (worldwide) (all media)
• Columbia Pictures (2000) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2001) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de España (200) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (2001) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (200?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Net5 (2004) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)

Special Effects

• C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures (digital visual effects)
• Illusion Arts (additional visual effects)

Other Companies

• By David's  catering
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes
• Columbia Records  soundtrack
• Legacy Records  soundtrack
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• Robert Rosenblatt Esq.  Business Affairs, Music Licensing:
• Saul Zaentz Film Center  sound post-production services
• Saul Zaentz Film Center  sound re-recording
• Sony Music Soundtrax  soundtrack
• William F. White International  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

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:

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 | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37271) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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:

Continuity: Jamal's tie "moves" in two consecutive shots during his first day of class.

Quotes:

Prof. Robert Crawford:[to Jamal] Perhaps your skills do reach farther than basketball.
Jamal:"Further"
Prof. Robert Crawford:What?
Claire Spence:[whispered to Jamal] Don't...
Jamal:[to Crawford] You said that my skills reached "farther" than basketball. "Farther" relates to distance, "further" is a definition of degree. You should have said "further".
Prof. Robert Crawford:Are you challenging me, Mr. Wallace?
Jamal:Not any more than you challenged Coleridge.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Brothers Solomon (2007)

Soundtrack:

Coffaro's Theme

A transcendent film

Director Gus Van Sant also directed `Good Will Hunting' and this film has essentially the same plot. An underprivileged youth is discovered by a reclusive genius and is shepherded to his full potential. What GWH was to math, this film is to literature. They are such close cousins that Van Sant felt compelled to bring in Matt Damon for a cameo.

Regardless of the familiar plot, `Finding Forrester' succeeds because of an excellent screenplay and outstanding acting performances by Sean Connery, Rob Brown and F. Murray Abraham. This kind of story can't help grabbing the audience at a human level. Genius, suppressed by societal class, struggles to emerge and it beats the odds. The story is transcendent for both the main characters. Forrester (Sean Connery) helps Jamal (Rob Wallace) transcend his societal constraints to realize his potential as a writer, and Jamal helps Forrester to transcend the constraints of his emotional traumas to free him as a human being. It is a triumphant story, very uplifting.

Van Sant does a good job of presenting the human element and developing the characters while keeping the photography effective but in the background. The photography is very straightforward, allowing the characters to tell the story without the intrusive use of stylish shots that are all to prevalent lately. Van Sant gives Forrester's apartment a dark and dreary look from a color and lighting perspective, which is particularly effective.

Sean Connery is in top form and continues to make the case for being one of our best and most treasured actors. He gives a virtuoso performance in this film with a complex and ornery character. It is a powerful and moving portrayal. Rob Brown is phenomenal in his first feature film. He was found in a talent search and made an impressive debut with an extremely mature performance. With the right scripts, he has a good chance of having a bright future. F. Murray Abraham is fantastic as the haughty English teacher, who gets his just deserts.

This is a highly intelligent film with a strong story, steady direction and marvelous acting. I rated it a 9/10. Despite an all too familiar storyline, it differentiates itself by its wide-ranging excellence. For those who enjoy good dramatic performances and intriguing character studies, this film is not to be missed.