Far from Par for the Course

Rating: Null/10 (16 August 2002)

This movie had potential, but never got close to what it could've been. Things that made this one of the lamest attempts at being a "classic" that I've seen are the weakly written plot and script, lack of character developement, and the overall feeling that Redford wanted this to be a classic, but obviously didn't bother putting enough effort into pulling it off.
First off is how they portray the whole plot of man vs. himself. The story is basically about a guy (Rannulph Junuh) who comes back from WWI and is carrying "demons" he has to face from it (i.e. everyone dies but him, and also that he has avoided his lover for the past 10 years on account of this guilt????) Come on, really??? What war veteran is going to come home from the war and NOT want to get laid the 1st chance he gets from his extremely beautiful girlfriend. Anyway, so somehow (after 10 years of avoiding them) he comes to terms with these "demons" in a matter of a few days, most of which are taken up playing golf.
I'd have to say one of the cheesiest moments is when Junuh hooks the ball into a forest and when he goes to find it he has a WWI flash back. Then Bagger Vance somes in, recites a poorly thought out script, and all of a sudden Junuh has overcome that particular demon is back to his peak performance again.
Then there's this character Bagger Vance. Who the hell is he and what's his story. This movie would've made a lot more sense if they would've put a little more into decifering if he was a regular mortal who just had a lot of wise quotes, or some angel-esque being with heavenly insight. They hint at this at the end when he is seen in our time looking the same.

The acting is done mediocre on everyones behalf, but Charlize Theron does an exceptionally lousy southern accent, half the time she slips into a regular accent in the middle of a word. Check out her speech when introducing the 3 different golfers to the city.
Not that the movie isn't entertaining, because it is. I wanted this to very much be a "classic" but ended up feeling sorry for the unfulfilling mess it becomes. And on a note for Redford... can you try doing a movie that isn't based before 1980? The "good 'ol days" are gone and I would rather try and find meaning from someone from my time that your grandparents time.