Redford's best ever. Mystery, charm, grace... and great entertainment!

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2000)

This is great! When I saw "A River Runs through It" I thought if Robert Redford never did another thing in his life, making that movie was enough. It would have provided a positive balance and karmic payback for all his life's mistakes (etc.). It would have given enough true artistic glory for him to bask in for the remainder of his days. Funny thing is, as much as I respected and admired that movie, I've never seen it again since that first time. "Bagger Vance" is different, though. It is even better than anything Redford has ever done before-- and that's saying A LOT-- and I will for sure go and see this one again. Maybe twice more. It is uplifting. It is easy to love.
"Bagger Vance" is: "The Natural" meets "A River Runs Through It" meets "Good Will Hunting." Sort of. It is about redemption, grace, mystery, and power. What makes it special is that the mysticism isn't magic. It isn't science fiction, or some far out fantasy deal. Rather, it is the actual, real, human mystery and magic that all of us live every day.
Some critics may not like this movie, because as a rule, the pretentious, dysfunctional geeks who usually write movie reviews for a living are frightened when made to feel a bit more emotion or reality than they're used to. There are exceptions, of course, but... Feel sorry for those poor, repressed souls! "Bagger Vance" is exuberant, lofty, loving, exciting, and meaningful. Oh, and immensely fun and very entertaining. Go see it-- you'll love it. I promise. I gave this a 10 out of 10, even though it deserved an "11."