Sadly, a truly stupid, annoying movie

Rating: 2/10 (12 March 2013)

I really wanted to like this movie. I'm a keen golfer. More than that, a keen student of the history of golf. And I actually believe many of the things that are said about golf in this film. Unfortunately they are drowned in endless sickening violins, and Will Smith's awful, permanently smirking character. If I had to play a round of golf with a pontificating smirker like that, it would be really all I could do to get round the course without making a serious attempt to do him an injury. There are certainly other nits that could be picked - the rules of golf are not well respected in the presentation, and the movie is rather unfair to Robert Jones and Walter Hagen, who were, after all, real people. But the massively annoying Bagger Vance character and the dreadful syrupy music drowning all significant moments are what really sink the movie. The style of the cinematography somewhat matches the music, but I could have lived with that, if it were not for the other problems. Given the paucity of decent golf movies, I suppose this is worth checking out for those interested in golf and its history, but it really is a bit much to take - muting the sound, especially when Bagger is speaking, might improve it quite a bit (although you'd still have to endure the best part of an hour of that annoying smirk).