'Golf' would have been a more suitable title

Rating: 6/10 (2 May 2001)

Matt Damon plays Rannulph Junuh, a golf champion from Savannah, who leaves his gorgeous (isn't she?) girlfriend Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron) behind to serve his country in World War 1. When he comes back, he is not the same person as he used to be, playing poker instead of golf and drinking heavily. However, when he is invited to take part in a huge golf tournament in Savannah, he finally agrees, accepting the mysterious Bagger Vance (Will Smith) as his 'caddie'. The second hour of the film, we see Junuh compete with two of the biggest golfers in the game for the $10,000 prize.
Calling a film a 'legend' is always pretentious and often out of place, and this dramatic comedy by Robert Redford is no exception. The photography, especially during the golf game, is beautiful and the cast is OK, but the story never really came alive. Some parts of the plots were far too superficial, like the romance between Junuh and Adele and the return of Junuh: when he comes back from the War he is mentally destroyed, but it is never explained why, as if the makers of the film thought that this is already such a horrible cliche that an explanation was unnecessary. Overall, this film never felt like a 'legend'; 'Golf' should have been a better suitable title. But it was entertaining enough to prevent me from rating it lower than 6.
6/10