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74%
Overall Rating
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Ranked #2,612
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Josh Waitzkin is just a typical American boy interested in baseball when one day he challenges his father at chess and wins. Showing unusual precocity at the outdoor matches at Washington Square in New York City, he quickly makes friends with a hustler named Vinnie who teaches him speed chess. Josh's parents hire a renowned chess coach, Bruce, who teaches Josh the usefulness of measured planning. Along the way Josh becomes tired of Bruce's system and chess in general and purposely throws a match, leaving the prospects of winning a national championship in serious jeopardy.
--IMDb
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After days and days of searching, I finally found one of my favorite films of all-time, "Searching for Bobby Fischer", the perfect example of how to craft quality cinema and how to work with child actors to such phenomenal success. The film tells the story of Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc), a Chess prodigy who is hailed by many as 'the new Fischer', including his streetwise drug dealer friend Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne), and his uptight former Chess Master instructor Bruce (Ben Kingsley). The film deals with Josh's attempts to keep his father (Joe Montegna) happy, while also feeding his desire to win. That's a lot to worry about, especially when you're a seven-year-old.
This film is just packed with so many exceptional scenes, as when Josh lets his father beat him at Chess because he doesn't want to hurt his feelings; or, when the parents of the kids are all taken to the basement of the building because they are getting too rowdy. The film has a pace that always keeps you interested and writer/director Steven Zaillian amazes you through the very last frame.
The performances are nothing short of superb. Ben Kingsley is amazing in yet another Oscar caliber performance, and Joe Montegna shows why he is so underrated as an actor. The always dependable Joan Allen gets one exceptional scene with Kingsley, and Max Pomeranc delivers quite possibly one of the top 3 child performances of all-time. Also, watch for pros like David Paymer, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy, Laura Linney, and Dan Hedaya in small, but very meaningful roles. This film is amazing and everyone should own it.
10/10.
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