Finally, a great movie about golf.

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2000)

Finally, a great movie about golf. Tin Cup was silly and feather light. Happy Gilmore was insultingly stupid. Caddy Shack, though very funny, was more about class warfare than about golf. Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance successfully brings to life Steven Pressfield's parable about golf and life and captures the essence of what makes golf "the greatest game." Remembering one's authentic golf swing in the midst of competition is the perfect metaphor for finding one's place in the world and resolving inner conflicts. Matt Damon effectively conveys the disillusionment of America's Lost Generation as a war hero who has lost his direction in life as well as his golf swing. Will Smith thoroughly inhabits his role as Bagger Vance, the sage caddy who materializes to help Damon's character find meaning in what has happened to him. This is the first movie in which Smith has completely shed his Fresh Prince persona and emerged as a real actor. Charlize Theron is convincing as the determined southern belle, who wants to save her father's resort. The actors who portray the legendary Bobby Jones and Waler Hagan, Joel Gretsch and Bruce McGill respectively, are brilliant. The young actor at the center of the film, J. Michael Moncrief, projects the wonder and innocence of a child who loves a game and the adults who play it with dignity, honesty, and integrity. Finally, Jack Lemmon, Hollywood's most earnest golfer, provides a familiar and sympathetic voice as the narrator.
Robert Redford's love of the game is apparent in his direction. The golf course is photographed lovingly and emerges as an organic being, every bit a character in the story.
The Legend of Bagger Vance is a beautiful and entertaining movie. It's sincerity and spirit are in sharp contrast to the cynicism and mean-spiritedness so pervasive in the movies today, as so many attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator.