Legend of Bad Screenplays.

Rating: 3/10 (27 December 2015)

The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000): Dir: Robert Redford / Cast: Matt Damon, Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jack Lemmon, Bruce McGill: This film isn't any more about Bagger Vance than Cast Away was about the volleyball. Matt Damon plays a golf pro who hits the ball so hard that the game is paused just to measure its distance. After horrifying experiences at World War 1 he slips out of sight leaving the woman he loved. Will Smith plays mysterious caddy Vance who challenges Damon to play golf against two champions. Charlize Theron arranges the event and uses the money to clear a debt. Visually appealing with great golf footage. Directed by Robert Redford who addressed similar themes in Ordinary People and The Horse Whisper, both of which are so much better than anything assembled here as an excuse for a screenplay. Damon delivers a strong performance as a has-been golfer whose true potential is blurred by alcohol. Smith as Vance is never explained and seen as an underwritten angelic figure. Theron's purpose is to seduce Damon into playing golf and mess with his mind. Jack Lemmon makes his final film appearance as the narrator and Damon's older self. Certainly not the top of the list for Robert Redford who has done better films. It addresses the flaws of self-denial, which can disrupt a person's spirit faster than the screenplay. Score: 3 ½ / 10