Finding Forrester

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thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, o filme não tem cenas boas, e nem personagens bons, a história é fraca, mas o drama no filme dá uma pequena salvada de ser ruim, mas mesmo assim, eu não recomendo esse filme. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/28/25 Full Review Brian H A real treat. Connery brings the reclusive author to life with a cornucopia of quirks and issues. Life lessons on perception and prejudice flow through the entire movie but in ways that bring you deeper in instead of driving you away. You don't have to love basketball, NYC, or even literature to enjoy this story of coming into your own. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/12/24 Full Review Hunter N The plot was pretty good in general, but the unnecessary sexual references and sheer volume of profanity is unacceptable. Do not watch this movie. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review Rick M A superbly crafted story that brings the viewer right into the heart of the film. A very pleasant and unexpected surprise. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/08/24 Full Review Arik S Finding forester is a great movie for those seeking a well rounded story not over acted and enjoyable to watch. The story line remains compelling throughout demonstrating wonderful growth for all characters. I continue to watch this movie regularly especially when I need to reminded about the value of hard work and friendship. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/23 Full Review Carys S Finding Forrester, a movie by Gus Van Sant released in 2000, follows Jamal, a teenage boy in the Bronx with a strong natural talent for writing. A 2 hour, 16 minute long movie attempting to win over the audience through the unusual friendship of a young black teenager and an older white man, the film is nothing but several chaotically overlapping storylines riddled with stereotypes. Through the use of plot, characterization, juxtaposition, and imagery, the director of Finding Forrester fails to convey the theme that family and friendship goes beyond blood relations and can improve one's standard of living. Van Sant uses plot and characterization in a superficial manner in his attempts to discuss his theme. The plot never centers around one guiding conflict, instead attempting to tie together many different threads, from Jamal's experience at school to his relationship with Forrester. This gives the movie an unstable feeling as each scene jumps from one story to the next. On the one hand, Jamal struggles to keep up with his good friends in the neighborhood as he grows involved at his new private school. On the other hand, Jamal faces conflict with another member of the basketball team, jealous of his skills. Neither of these threads are ever truly resolved. In fact, the major inciting incident of the movie only occurs more than halfway through the movie when Jamal's English teacher discovers that the work Jamal has submitted for a writing competition is partially plagiarized from one of William Forrester's old works. Jamal must somehow convince Forrester to stand up for him at school in order to prevent punishment. The movie climaxes as Jamal gains Forrester's trust and takes him out of his comfort zone to a place he knows Forrester will love - a baseball stadium. Not only does this scene represent the strengthening of the bond between Jamal and Forrester, compelling Forrester to speak on Jamal's behalf at the end of the movie, it also represents a major development in Forrester's character. Over the course of the movie, William Forrester goes from a man hiding within his apartment day in and day out, refusing to speak to anybody, to a man who enjoys biking around the city and talking to a close friend. Forrester immediately captivates the audience's attention as a mysterious figure who gradually reveals more and more about his backstory. Yet Forrester is clearly not the protagonist as the movie is entirely centered around Jamal's life. This characterization is truly flawed as Jamal remains the same character throughout the movie. He is a black teenager from a poor part of town who is stereotypically an excellent basketball player. As Jamal moves through his life, growing closer to Forrester and improving his talent for writing, he does not change as a character. Jamal's lack of change and the chaos of too many story threads makes it difficult to pick up on the theme of the movie until the very end. The stark juxtaposition between Jamal's poor neighborhood, Forrester's apartment, and the private school appears to be the director's attempt at highlighting just how much Jamal's relationship with Forrester improved his standard of living. Through scenes with the thin walls of Jamal's apartment and a burning car behind him as he's walking home at night, the audience understands that Jamal comes from a poor neighborhood with difficult living conditions. Yet this imagery also reinforces commonly-held stereotypes about crime-ridden neighborhoods that black people live in, undermining the legitimacy of the film. Jamal's private school, with its school uniforms, grand classrooms, and difficult classwork, appears to be an improvement for Jamal. The effort that Jamal has to put in at his new school is also a dramatic increase from his previous school. This contrast is the only part of the film that truly helps contribute to the theme, as the audience understands that Jamal's relationship with Forrester helped him improve his writing and dedicate himself to English. However, the death of Forrester at the end of the film occurs too abruptly, appearing almost as if the director is worried the audience did not understand the theme. It seems as if Jamal is given Forrester's apartment just to prove that their friendship truly impacted Jamal, at the very least in a materialistic manner. In this way, the film is ineffective in discussing themes of friendship. It is not until the end of the film that viewers have any indication that friendship and family are a theme. The characterizations and imagery focus solely on issues outside of the main theme that it almost seems as though the director did not know what the theme would be until the end of the film. Aspects of the film are captivating, particularly as the audience discovers more and more about Forrester and his past. Yet the complete reliance on stereotypes and the chaotic interweaving of unfinished storylines make watching this movie an overall unsatisfying experience. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Finding Forrester

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