The Legend of Bagger Vance
(no spoilers)
So, it seems many people are rather displeased with this film. Many criticize it for reasons that I tend to find unfair. I normally don't post about something so out of left field, but I'm going to do it anyway.
First of all, as you can may have guessed, I find The Legend of Bagger Vance is to be a pretty charming movie. It may not be the greatest piece of cinema to grace the earth, but it is more than a pleasant show that has several interesting things going on.
1.) This is not an inspirational sports movie about the scrappy underdog winning at the end. A lot of critics seem to feel that this movie is a cliche tale of a hero overcoming adversity to win the big game. I would suggest you push that thought out of your head. This film is not about that. Rather, it is about a man battling with PTSD who is trying to overcome his demons and find his true self again. This is not the little giants or the replacements this film has far more emotional resonance with its protagonist and goes deeper than a simple golf match.
2.) Strong female character. This is really more of a side note but with all the hubbub about The Force Awakens and Charlize Theron's film Mad Max: Fury road there has been a lot of talk about "strong" female characters. However, I feel that most of these, while having their charms, show women succeeding in a very masculine style (fighting and performing feats of physical strength). However, in my opinion, we see a much more interesting female character here in adele invergordon. She is head of her late father's golf resort and is trying to put the pieces back together. She is smart, strong willed, and diplomatic. She is able to overcome incredible odds, doesn't need to be saved by a man, and she not once has to punch/shoot someone in the face.
3.) This is a fairytale. If you go into this movie with the idea of it as a dreamlike fairytale you will really start to appreciate it. It has it's cheese, to be sure, and everyone has ridiculous southern accents and several chew up scenery like it's the last meal they'll ever get. However, it all really works. The corny sunsets and the actors all hamming it up add up to a truly light and fun story.
4.) This film really seems to try. Watching this film it seems as though it was made by someone without a cynical bone in their body. Which in this day and age of films like Superman vs Batman, that is a rather notable event. Maybe I'm just fooling myself, but some of the lines and call backs are actually rather clever and charming. The actors performances, though sometimes bordering on parody, seem to project actual effort and enthusiasm in trying to make a film about a game that is notably boring to watch into something of a mythical adventure. Some of the lines are stilted as hell and the movie falls on its face, but some are actually very well done and delivered.
I will gladly go into more depth about this film if anyone has a grain of interest, but I felt the need to express myself here... so i did it....
Thank you for your time, and I appreciate you reading this post
(no spoilers)
So, it seems many people are rather displeased with this film. Many criticize it for reasons that I tend to find unfair. I normally don't post about something so out of left field, but I'm going to do it anyway.
First of all, as you can may have guessed, I find The Legend of Bagger Vance is to be a pretty charming movie. It may not be the greatest piece of cinema to grace the earth, but it is more than a pleasant show that has several interesting things going on.
1.) This is not an inspirational sports movie about the scrappy underdog winning at the end. A lot of critics seem to feel that this movie is a cliche tale of a hero overcoming adversity to win the big game. I would suggest you push that thought out of your head. This film is not about that. Rather, it is about a man battling with PTSD who is trying to overcome his demons and find his true self again. This is not the little giants or the replacements this film has far more emotional resonance with its protagonist and goes deeper than a simple golf match.
2.) Strong female character. This is really more of a side note but with all the hubbub about The Force Awakens and Charlize Theron's film Mad Max: Fury road there has been a lot of talk about "strong" female characters. However, I feel that most of these, while having their charms, show women succeeding in a very masculine style (fighting and performing feats of physical strength). However, in my opinion, we see a much more interesting female character here in adele invergordon. She is head of her late father's golf resort and is trying to put the pieces back together. She is smart, strong willed, and diplomatic. She is able to overcome incredible odds, doesn't need to be saved by a man, and she not once has to punch/shoot someone in the face.
3.) This is a fairytale. If you go into this movie with the idea of it as a dreamlike fairytale you will really start to appreciate it. It has it's cheese, to be sure, and everyone has ridiculous southern accents and several chew up scenery like it's the last meal they'll ever get. However, it all really works. The corny sunsets and the actors all hamming it up add up to a truly light and fun story.
4.) This film really seems to try. Watching this film it seems as though it was made by someone without a cynical bone in their body. Which in this day and age of films like Superman vs Batman, that is a rather notable event. Maybe I'm just fooling myself, but some of the lines and call backs are actually rather clever and charming. The actors performances, though sometimes bordering on parody, seem to project actual effort and enthusiasm in trying to make a film about a game that is notably boring to watch into something of a mythical adventure. Some of the lines are stilted as hell and the movie falls on its face, but some are actually very well done and delivered.
I will gladly go into more depth about this film if anyone has a grain of interest, but I felt the need to express myself here... so i did it....
Thank you for your time, and I appreciate you reading this post
