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He doesn't even go to see his gorgeous fiancée Adele Invergordon
(Charlize Theron) whose father was the richest man in Savannah,
Georgia. As his stocks fall, so do those of many in America
with the onset of the Great Depression.
Even the richest man in the state suffers badly and his dream
of building the greatest golf course and resort in the world
finds itself wrecked upon bad debts.
After her father's suicide Adele is determined to save his
dream and so comes up with a plan to hold the richest golfing
tournament ever and invites two of America's greatest players
- Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch) and Walter Hagen (Bruce McGill)
- for a matchplay competition where the winner takes $10,000.
Being the South, she also needs to find a local hero and
so turns to Junuh, who rejects her approach because he's lost
his once-glorious swing.
The belief of a small boy Hardy Greaves (J. Michael Moncrief)
- played as an old man by Jack Lemmon - fires up Junuh and
he tries to recapture his unbeatable style.
Enter a mysterious caddy called Bagger Vance (Will Smith)
who goads and needles Junuh into trying to forget the past
and find his authentic swing.
What follows is an exciting, believable and heart-warming
battle by Junuh to overcome his demons, both on and off the
golf course.
Directed by Robert Redford, The Legend of Bagger Vance
is similar in style and spirit to the excellent The Natural
and the great actor/director is given fantastic support from
his cast.
Damon is thoroughly believable as a man who had everything
and then lost it. He never descends into the ridiculous and
plays his character straight.
Smith is wonderful as the knowledgeable and cheeky Vance,
whose caddying style has all around wondering if he actually
knows what he is doing.
The outstanding performance, however, comes from Theron who
is achingly gorgeous and whose feisty spirit and determination
make her the sort of person everyone will love.
Add Lemmon into the mix - and a terrific youngster in Moncrief
- as well as A1 support from Gretsch and McGill and you have
a fantastic line-up of characters and talent.
The video transfer is superb and its sharpness, use of rich
colours and lack of jarring faults boosts the classy production
values of the movie. Sound-wise it is surprisingly good with
excellent material for your sound system's surround capabilities
and the all-important dialogue is easy to pick-up.
A thoroughly enjoyable and heart-warming tale.
Conclusion: Movie 85%, Extras 50%
Continued: DVD
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