list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Legend of Bagger Vance on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/The_Legend_of_Bagger_Vance/149638/default.aspx Title: The Legend of Bagger Vance
Year: 2000
Director: Robert Redford
Plot: Robert Redford directed this adaptation of a novel by Steven Pressfield that uses golf as a metaphor for one man's spiritual and philosophical journeys. Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon) was a gifted amateur golfer from Savannah, GA, until traumatic experiences during World War I shattered his confidence and sent him into a spiral of alcoholism. In 1931, Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron), a beautiful heiress who once loved Junuh, inherits a spectacular but financially ailing golf course after the suicide of her father. To attract customers, she proposed a high-stakes match between the two most famous golfers of the day, Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch) and Walter Hagen (Bruce McGill). Local businessmen sponsoring the match insist that a local golfer be added to the card, and Junuh is drafted for the position, but it soon becomes obvious that his game is just a shadow of its former glory. When things seem hopeless, a mysterious gentleman named Bagger Vance (Will Smith) volunteers to serve as Junuh's caddy and coach, using a mixture of ancient wisdom and past-life knowledge to help Junah "remember" the swing he's lost. Jack Lemmon narrates the story, and J. Michael Moncrief plays Lemmon's character as a boy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 4
Number of Lists: 6
Number of blog posts: 4
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:19:27 GMTThe Legend of Bagger Vance2000Robert Redford<a href="/players/P___107758/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert Redford</a> directed this adaptation of a novel by Steven Pressfield that uses golf as a metaphor for one man's spiritual and philosophical journeys. Rannulph Junuh (<a href="/players/P____16762/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Matt Damon</a>) was a gifted amateur golfer from Savannah, GA, until traumatic experiences during World War I shattered his confidence and sent him into a spiral of alcoholism. In 1931, Adele Invergordon (<a href="/players/P___216257/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Charlize Theron</a>), a beautiful heiress who once loved Junuh, inherits a spectacular but financially ailing golf course after the suicide of her father. To attract customers, she proposed a high-stakes match between the two most famous golfers of the day, Bobby Jones (<a href="/players/P___277249/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Joel Gretsch</a>) and Walter Hagen (<a href="/players/P____47434/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bruce McGill</a>). Local businessmen sponsoring the match insist that a local golfer be added to the card, and Junuh is drafted for the position, but it soon becomes obvious that his game is just a shadow of its former glory. When things seem hopeless, a mysterious gentleman named Bagger Vance (<a href="/players/P____66596/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Will Smith</a>) volunteers to serve as Junuh's caddy and coach, using a mixture of ancient wisdom and past-life knowledge to help Junah "remember" the swing he's lost. <a href="/players/P____99306/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jack Lemmon</a> narrates the story, and J. Michael Moncrief plays Lemmon's character as a boy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide4Slightly Tagged (1-5)642http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t10433vr3jj.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Legend_of_Bagger_Vance/149638/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/5/39117.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/5/2009 5:01:02 PM
Body: Out of all the cinematic staples, the so-called “magical negro” is the worst to define and discuss due to it being the mother of all loaded terms. A catch-all phrase used to describe how African-Americans in film tend to be superhuman physically, spiritually or both, it’s currently in the midst of the pop cultural zeitgeist thanks to a crappy song and New Year’s faux-pas. Anytime someone sees a black character used as a story tool in a film — in the case of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) originally didn’t exist in Fitzgerald’s story — there is a mild cry of “There! There! I see a magical negro in the distance! Yes! There!” One should wonder why Eric Roth deemed it necessary to suddenly introduce the character as a framing device for guiding the CGI Man-Child about, but that’s up to anyone who can be assed to sit through that three hour bore. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves—and in full expectation of the eventual backlash that will come from one friend of ours, Odienator at Big Media Vandalism—to deconstruct the favorite crutch of Stephen King, the Wachowski Brothers and whoever else has a problem understanding just what makes the worst stereotype the worst stereotype. The “Morgan Freeman” As Seen In: Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Shawshank Redemption A controversial choice, sure, and quite possibly a lazy choice. But Morgan Freeman has so deeply inserted himself in our culture as the wise, old teacher that him playing a seductively raging pimp in Street Smart seems impossible. Yet his gravely, nurturing voice seems to soothe us into believing whatever he says. And for some reason, he’s now playing into the comfortable role that he’s been typecast as since Driving Miss Daisy–the wiry, coy helper who can do fine on his own, but decides to help the Lead instead. In a way, Freeman became unintentionally responsible for confusing any black actor in any role as falling under the “magic negro” cliché. The Angel As Seen In: The Family Man, The Legend of Bagger Vance, What Dreams May Come, The Preacher’s Wife Every so often, a Successful White Guy finds himself with an overwhelming problem: his girlfriend left him, he’s too rich and successful, he realizes he’s Robin Williams. And lo, a loosely defined but altruistic Black Man will appear with unknown powers to set the S.W.G. straight. Sometimes, he’ll appear as Don Cheadle. Other times, he’ll be Will Smith, emerging from the woods and help you get your (golf) game back. And rarely, he’ll be Cuba Gooding, Jr. (and later Max von Sydow) or Denzel Washington, who’ll help you re-connect with your loved ones. Best shown through the utter ridiculousness from Bagger Vance, The Angel provides a fresh start to our troubled lead character, who must pretend to have his angst quickly fixed by the folksy and whimsical lessons given by their winged friends. Ultimately, there’s a generic life lesson learned (”keep family close, don’t let work get in the way, learn golf”) that benefits both the Angel and the S.W.G. (and in case of Preacher’s Wife, Courtney Vance.) The Innocent As Seen In: The Green Mile, Radio We’re pushing it with Radio here, but hold on. The Innocent is normally portrayed by a large, intimidating figure (Michael Clarke Duncan) or, if you’re Cuba Gooding Jr., a “full retard.” Everything is child-like to them and they’re incapable of controlling their own strength–or knowingly acting as if they have mental problems for critical acclaim. And they posses a great inner spirit that seems almost magical. Not to mention their sympathetic white friends (Tom Hanks, Ed Harris) feel pity for them based on their short-comings, but are won over by their child-like sympathy–and curing their tract infections. The Teacher As Seen In: The Matrix Trilogy, The Secret Life of Bees, The Shining Whether they’re telling Keanu to free his mind, teaching Dakota Fanning about the blues and selling her precious honey, or demonstrating how to talk with your index finger–The Teacher is there. While the role could be played by anyone, here we’re given figures that seem to have all the knowledge in the world, yet all they can be is a foil to pass that onto another character–normally the dopey white guy or gal. As Spike Lee once asked, “How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?” Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:01:02 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/5/2009 5:01:02 PMOut of all the cinematic staples, the so-called “magical negro” is the worst to define and discuss due to it being the mother of all loaded terms. A catch-all phrase used to describe how African-Americans in film tend to be superhuman physically, spiritually or both, it’s currently in the midst of the pop cultural zeitgeist thanks to a crappy song and New Year’s faux-pas. Anytime someone sees a black character used as a story tool in a film — in the case of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) originally didn’t exist in Fitzgerald’s story — there is a mild cry of “There! There! I see a magical negro in the distance! Yes! There!” One should wonder why Eric Roth deemed it necessary to suddenly introduce the character as a framing device for guiding the CGI Man-Child about, but that’s up to anyone who can be assed to sit through that three hour bore. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves—and in full expectation of the eventual backlash that will come from one friend of ours, Odienator at Big Media Vandalism—to deconstruct the favorite crutch of Stephen King, the Wachowski Brothers and whoever else has a problem understanding just what makes the worst stereotype the worst stereotype. The “Morgan Freeman” As Seen In: Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Shawshank Redemption A controversial choice, sure, and quite possibly a lazy choice. But Morgan Freeman has so deeply inserted himself in our culture as the wise, old teacher that him playing a seductively raging pimp in Street Smart seems impossible. Yet his gravely, nurturing voice seems to soothe us into believing whatever he says. And for some reason, he’s now playing into the comfortable role that he’s been typecast as since Driving Miss Daisy–the wiry, coy helper who can do fine on his own, but decides to help the Lead instead. In a way, Freeman became unintentionally responsible for confusing any black actor in any role as falling under the “magic negro” cliché. The Angel As Seen In: The Family Man, The Legend of Bagger Vance, What Dreams May Come, The Preacher’s Wife Every so often, a Successful White Guy finds himself with an overwhelming problem: his girlfriend left him, he’s too rich and successful, he realizes he’s Robin Williams. And lo, a loosely defined but altruistic Black Man will appear with unknown powers to set the S.W.G. straight. Sometimes, he’ll appear as Don Cheadle. Other times, he’ll be Will Smith, emerging from the woods and help you get your (golf) game back. And rarely, he’ll be Cuba Gooding, Jr. (and later Max von Sydow) or Denzel Washington, who’ll help you re-connect with your loved ones. Best shown through the utter ridiculousness from Bagger Vance, The Angel provides a fresh start to our troubled lead character, who must pretend to have his angst quickly fixed by the folksy and whimsical lessons given by their winged friends. Ultimately, there’s a generic life lesson learned (”keep family close, don’t let work get in the way, learn golf”) that benefits both the Angel and the S.W.G. (and in case of Preacher’s Wife, Courtney Vance.) The Innocent As Seen In: The Green Mile, Radio We’re pushing it with Radio here, but hold on. The Innocent is normally portrayed by a large, intimidating figure (Michael Clarke Duncan) or, if you’re Cuba Gooding Jr., a “full retard.” Everything is child-like to them and they’re incapable of controlling their own strength–or knowingly acting as if they have mental problems for critical acclaim. And they posses a great inner spirit that seems almost magical. Not to mention their sympathetic white friends (Tom Hanks, Ed Harris) feel pity for them based on their short-comings, but are won over by their child-like sympathy–and curing their tract infections. The Teacher As Seen In: The Matrix Trilogy, The Secret Life of Bees, The Shining Whether they’re telling Keanu to free his mind, teaching Dakota Fanning about the blues and selling her precious honey, or demonstrating how to talk with your index finger–The Teacher is there. While the role could be played by anyone, here we’re given figures that seem to have all the knowledge in the world, yet all they can be is a foil to pass that onto another character–normally the dopey white guy or gal. As Spike Lee once asked, “How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?” Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/moviebabe/archive/2007/2/26/5791.aspx Post By: MovieBabe
Post To: MovieBabe Blog
Post Date: 2/26/2007 12:43:00 PM
Body: I've never been particularly inspired by golf. Admittedly, the extent of my golfing experience is having watched contestants play Hole in One on The Price Is Right. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the gut-wrenching beauty of a sport: My heart soared along with Roy Hobbs' klieg-shattering final home run in The Natural. I get misty-eyed during the presentation of the Stanley Cup. But even after watching Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance, my opening statement remains true: I've never been particularly inspired by golf. And thus the movie, at least by Field of Dreams standards, fails. Will Smith plays the title character, a gee-golly black man who appears out of nowhere to help pro golfer Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), a former fortunate son whose experiences in World War I (here, the film briefly turns rather Saving Private Ryan, but much more prettily) have left him mentally, er, handicapped. Having decided to spend his postwar years drinking and playing poker incognito instead of returning to the public life in Savannah, Ga., Junuh is one day needled into entering a high-stakes golf tournament hosted by his ex, Adele (Charlize Theron). After 10 years of slumming, Junuh needs some help working out the kinks in his game — and the demons in his head. So along comes Bagger: Affable, Zen-like, and unfailingly willing to help out the po' boy with whatever's ailing him, Bagger seems heaven-sent.Although Junuh continues sucking through much of the tournament, Bagger's infinite wisdom (which consists, as far as I could tell, of alternating mildly sarcastic, Will Smith-like remarks with barely audible nuggets of inspiration) eventually helps Junuh's game, lifts the townspeople's spirits, and damn well frees Savannah from the grips of the Great Depression. The actors do their best with what they're given — Theron allows the camera to love her, Damon adds a believable, tortured-soul quality to his usual prettiness, and Smith has merely to raise his eyebrows in a bemused expression to make viewers giggle with he's-so-charming! glee — but the uncomfortable, throwback characterizations of the subservient magical negro and the well-to-do Southern white folk do little to engage the audience. For a true sports high, try ESPN.
]]>Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:43:00 GMTMovieBabeMovieBabe Blog2/26/2007 12:43:00 PMI&#39;ve never been particularly inspired by golf. Admittedly, the extent of my golfing experience is having watched contestants play Hole in One on The Price Is Right. But that doesn&#39;t mean I can&#39;t appreciate the gut-wrenching beauty of a sport: My heart soared along with Roy Hobbs&#39; klieg-shattering final home run in The Natural. I get misty-eyed during the presentation of the Stanley Cup. But even after watching Robert Redford&#39;s The Legend of Bagger Vance, my opening statement remains true: I&#39;ve never been particularly inspired by golf. And thus the movie, at least by Field of Dreams standards, fails. Will Smith plays the title character, a gee-golly black man who appears out of nowhere to help pro golfer Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), a former fortunate son whose experiences in World War I (here, the film briefly turns rather Saving Private Ryan, but much more prettily) have left him mentally, er, handicapped. Having decided to spend his postwar years drinking and playing poker incognito instead of returning to the public life in Savannah, Ga., Junuh is one day needled into entering a high-stakes golf tournament hosted by his ex, Adele (Charlize Theron). After 10 years of slumming, Junuh needs some help working out the kinks in his game &mdash; and the demons in his head. So along comes Bagger: Affable, Zen-like, and unfailingly willing to help out the po&#39; boy with whatever&#39;s ailing him, Bagger seems heaven-sent.Although Junuh continues sucking through much of the tournament, Bagger&#39;s infinite wisdom (which consists, as far as I could tell, of alternating mildly sarcastic, Will Smith-like remarks with barely audible nuggets of inspiration) eventually helps Junuh&#39;s game, lifts the townspeople&#39;s spirits, and damn well frees Savannah from the grips of the Great Depression. The actors do their best with what they&#39;re given &mdash; Theron allows the camera to love her, Damon adds a believable, tortured-soul quality to his usual prettiness, and Smith has merely to raise his eyebrows in a bemused expression to make viewers giggle with he&#39;s-so-charming! glee &mdash; but the uncomfortable, throwback characterizations of the subservient magical negro and the well-to-do Southern white folk do little to engage the audience. For a true sports high, try ESPN. http://www.spout.com/blogs/bbissell/archive/2006/10/8/3180.aspx Post By: bbissell
Post To: bbissell Blog
Post Date: 10/8/2006 5:16:00 PM
Body: I am not sure which one cam first, but the movie The Greatest Game ever played is much like this movie. Set in the 30's time frame, under dog does some good golfing, etc. Fun movie to watch, nothing that is going to knock you out of your seat.
]]>Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:16:00 GMTbbissellbbissell Blog10/8/2006 5:16:00 PMI am not sure which one cam first, but the movie The Greatest Game ever played is much like this movie. Set in the 30's time frame, under dog does some good golfing, etc. Fun movie to watch, nothing that is going to knock you out of your seat. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/suicide/MemberTagFilms.aspxsuicide
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