ONLY IF YOU LIKE GOLF

Rating: 4/10 (5 November 2001)

Only if you like golf should you see this movie! I am sorry, Mr. Robert Redford, but the story does not do justice to the calibre of your actors.
Fairy tale story about a drunk (forget the World War I connection) who has lost his self-respect and confidence and is "lost" for 15 years (Matt Damon as Rannulph Junuh) and beautiful Charlize Theron (Adele Invergordon) who for 15 years still loves Junuh and pines for him when she should have moved on with her life. Along comes an "angel" in the form of Will Smith (as Bagger Vance) who knows all about the golf game and for only "$5.00 guaranteed" and the pair of shoes he "broke in" becomes the caddy for Junuh and throughout the game "helps" him to regain his long lost self-confidence.
"What we have here - is failure to communicate!" What can you get out of a golf movie? Players chasing the little white ball from hole to hole. The predictable "drama" of golf balls going into the sand trap, the water trap, the trees, and other common golf hazards routinely associated with the game.

Where is the drama? Adele was pursuing her own issues trying to convince Rannulph that he still loves her all the while interfering with the championship match that "she" organized and produced. Did she need to confront him behind the trees on the final round and break his concentration causing Rannulph to land in the sand trap? No, that's self-defeating. Did she have real dialog to speak? No, not worthy of the role she beautifully acted in "The Devil's Advocate."
Matt Damon looks manly and the ladies like him. But, his dialog is weak. He can perform much better than the script he was given.
Will Smith has accepted better challenges. Essentially, he plays it "smooth" and delivers like he was reading narration in a high school English class. In this script is his mission in life to be the "angel" to help wayward and lost Junuh to rediscover himself?
Who did a great job? The young J. Michael Moncrief who played young Hardy Greaves. This first time youthful actor, never before in a movie according to Robert Redford's trailer interview, shows the most emotion and acting ability. "First times a charm!"
Lane Smith needed more to do. Bruce McGill and Joel Gretsch just played golf and showed professional courtesy to Junuh. With only three players in the tournament why work harder?
Jack Lemmon was uncredited in this film (WHY?) as he played the Old Hardy Greaves telling the dubbed-over story of that one special moment in his golf life before he, now an old man, walks into the sunset to die on the old golf course he played all his life. Of course, there's Bagger Vance on the hillside waving him to come "over to the other side."

Life's over! And, so it should be for this film. I gave it a "4" out of respect for the actors who could have made a better performance had they had a different story line and script. Save the golf stories for tee time on Saturday mornings at your local course!