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Laramie Movie Scope:
The Legend of Bagger Vance

Golf's version of "The Natural"

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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November 5, 2000 -- Back in my early days as a reporter I used to work with an old time sports editor named Bill Carow. He used to talk a lot about natural athletes. There was a twinkle in their eye, he'd say, and a spring in their step. You could spot them from just the way they walked and the way they carried themselves, he said. "The Natural" was a story of a man with that kind of God-given talent. "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is another movie about such a man, and such a talent.

This notion runs against the grain of conventional wisdom that says you have to work hard to perfect the mechanics of a thing as delicate as a golf swing. "Bagger Vance" makes the argument that you don't really develop a swing, you discover what you were born with. This notion is taken a step further, in that this natural ability is linked to a deep spiritual force at the center of one's life, of all life, of all things. This is the same message advanced in "The Karate Kid," and the pop spirituality of this film is also akin to that of "Field of Dreams."

Bagger Vance, a mysterious spiritual guide, and golf caddy, is played by Will Smith of "Enemy of the State." He shows up in the middle of the night to assist the tortured golfer Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon of "The Talented Mr. Ripley") get his golf swing back. Junuh, a promising young golfer, lost his swing during The War to End All Wars. A shell of his former self, haunted by terrible memories, he finds solace in alcohol.

Meanwhile, a young woman, Adele Invergordon (played by Charlize Theron of "Cider House Rules"), comes up with an idea to save her father's country club, bankrupt in the throes of the Great Depression. It is a $10,000 match between the two greatest golfers of the time, Bobby Jones (convincingly played by Joel Gretsch) and Walter Hagen (played by Bruce McGill of "The Insider"). The local Savannah crowd wants a local golfer they can root for. Junuh fits the bill, if they can get him to play.

With very little practice to get back his old form, Junuh gets into this high-stakes golf match. He ought to have no chance, right? But Junuh is a natural athlete with an unlimited well of talent within him, an avatar much like Roy Hobbs. Vance seeks to help Junuh tap that inner talent, and straighten out the rest of his shattered life at the same time. He's kind of a corny, homespun guru, who seems to know more than any mortal should. The story is told in a series of flashbacks with narration by the great Jack Lemmon, who plays Hardy Greaves, a witness to these events long ago (J. Michael Moncrief plays the young Hardy Greaves in the flashbacks).

Good performances and high production values help this sentimental, feel-good story, based on a novel by Steven Pressfield, but it does have some problems. The flashbacks weaken the story. Damon seems a little too cheery for a guy who has lost his soul in battle and Theron seems out of her league in her role as the spunky Scarlett O'Hara type. Smith is right on the button, however, and the golf sequences are very well done. The musical score by Rachel Portman is stirring and the cinematography by Michael Ballhaus is stunning, as are the special effects. The production and art designs and costume designs are also first-class. Director Robert Redford's sweeping style is also apparent in this glossy film. Redford successfully evokes the power of myth. It rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2000 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)