The Legend of Bagger Vance (2001, VHS)

One of my favorite movies is "Field of Dreams". I can t really pinpoint why. None of the actors are particular favorites (except for James Earl Jones), I don t much care about baseball, and I ve been to Iowa one time in my entire life. For some reason, everything in the movie just comes together and the result is magical. The wonder of film, the whole being greater than the sum of it s parts. "The Legend of Bagger Vance" strives to achieve that same magic, and to a lesser degree, succeeds.

The story opens with a very funny and touching bit with Hardy Greaves (Jack Lemmon) internally narrating while playing golf, muttering all the while. As he has his fifth heart attack in ten years, the narrative becomes a reminiscence of why he plays this game that tortures him so. For me, even had I not seen the rest of the film, this scene alone would have been enough to make it worth getting. It s Lemmon at his sweet and codgery best.

The tale he tells is that of Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), who was a great golfer in Savannah, Georgia in the early 1900 s. Young Hardy Greaves (J. Michael Moncrief) idolizes Junuh, as he seems to be the man who has everything. He s a great golfer, has a fabulous girlfriend, Adele (Charlize Theron), and considerable celebrity. When WWI breaks out, Junuh answers the call and goes to war.

War immeasurably scars Junuh, and he cannot bear a return home. He disappears for years, and when he does resurface, is a recluse who drinks to forget. He plays no golf, saying he s lost his swing . Circumstance and reemerging loyalties lead the very rusty Junuh into an exhibition match against two premiere golfers at the resort built by Adele s father. Seemingly from nowhere appears Bagger Vance (Will Smith) with an offer to caddy for Junuh but in truth offering much more. The rest of the story follows Junuh s relationship with Vance, Adele and young Hardy, the golf tournament, and Junuh s battle with his own demons.

"The Legend of Bagger Vance" was directed by Robert Redford, who ably brings his considerable skills to the job. The tone is just as intended, with touches of innocence and the gentle, benign supernatural aura of Bagger Vance. The location and camera work also lend to this overall feeling of misty, magical uncertainty mixed with nicely done period music and costumes.

The performances are generally solid. Damon manages the mix of trauma and self forgiveness well. Charlize Theron makes her Adele sassy and likeable. Will Smith s Bagger is mystical when he needs to be and his irreverent banter at other times is charming. J. Michael Moncrief as young Hardy is wonderful, his scene with a drunken Junuh and friends being one of the best in the movie. His wide eyed awe of Junuh is very convincing.

My only major gripe about the film is that the romance between Damon and Theron is flat. Their storyline is fine, but the chemistry is bad. While not for me a main point of the film, it would have been nice to care whether they were together.

Overall, "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is quite entertaining. It doesn t quite reach the elusive magic of "Field of Dreams", but comes close. The performances and directing are solid and create an innocent and mythical tone. The DVD edition also includes a couple of behind the scenes featurettes. A good choice for anyone looking for some light dramatic entertainment (and you don t have to like golf to enjoy it!).