This DVD item from Paramount was reviewed on 26-Mar-2009. Searching for Bobby Fischer Reference DVD. Classifications : General Drama Genres DVD Video Childhood Drama By Theme Drama Genres DVD Video True Story By Theme Drama Genres DVD Video Fathers & Sons Family Life Drama Genres DVD Video Comedy Kids & Family Genres . Click the following link to view the cover of Searching for Bobby Fischer. Related topics: 1993-08-11. General. Drama. Genres. DVD. Video. Childhood Drama. By Theme. Drama. Genres. DVD. requestid: cc84e62b-27ec-4826-a35e-c08e97d4bbbb
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1) DVD DVD Searching for Bobby Fischer by Paramount. Here´s another one of those family-type stories that almost everyone likes because you care about the main character so much. In this case, it´s a young boy, played very well by Max Pomeranc. It´s also based on a true story which makes you care even more and root harder for the nice kid.
The idea of knocking pushy parents in kids´ competition is fine but it´s a little overworked here and you also get the normal PC angle in today´s films where a black and white is concerned. In this film, it´s Max´s chess tutors. Those two teachers are the most interesting adults in here, but then again, where have you seen Ben Kingsley and Samuel L. Jackson NOT be entertaining?
Add Joe Mantegna and Joan Allen as the parents and you have a nice cast, along with an involving story and pretty nice photography. Interspersed in this story of a chess prodigy are film clips of the famous and very eccentric Bobby Fischer, whom the movie is named after. Young Pomeranc narrates those segments.
This was one of those truly solid "feel-good" movies of its year, which says a lot because 1993 produced an incredible amount of great pictures. Since it´s so nicely-photographed, I´d like to see this get a good Blu-Ray treatment, too.
¤ 2) DVD DVD Searching for Bobby Fischer by Paramount. As of 033009 I have yet to receive this purchase. (Ordered on 022609) Have e-mailed and asked about the dellivery; no response.
Not sure what to do now.¤ 3) DVD DVD Searching for Bobby Fischer by Paramount. The film is based on the true story of Josh Waitzkin and his family. What happens when a sportswriter, who has just given his son a new baseball glove for his 7th birthday, discovers that his son prefers chess over baseball. He not only prefers it but he is a child prodigy. He could be another Bobby Fischer. Unfortunately, as we see in flashbacks of Fischer´s career throughout the film, being a genius and world champion did not necessarily make you a human success story. The question is: are genius and success as a human being mutually exclusive? Can you be a child prodigy and a ´normal´ child? The film does a great job of exploring that question as we see the family struggle with first, Josh´s gifts, and then, how to best use the incredible talent he has for visualizing the game of chess. As Josh says to one of his opponents during a match, ´It´s over. You just don´t know it yet." Genius sees things the rest of us mortals do not. The acting is superb, the cinematography, especially of the chess tournaments, is amazing, and the degree to which the film addresses the question of genius versus having a life is sometimes heartbreaking. A film that will challenge you and inspire you. You don´t need to be a chess fan or even know anything about the game to enjoy this one. Lu G. for Lu´s Reviews.¤ 4) DVD DVD Searching for Bobby Fischer by Paramount. The Bottom Line:
A movie which begins as an insightful look into the depressing world of American chess prodigies, Searching for Bobby Fischer ultimately disappoints due to a slavish love of formula; worth watching for chess-lovers, it´s nonetheless a movie that could have been a lot more.¤ 5) DVD DVD Searching for Bobby Fischer by Paramount. This is my all-time favorite movie. There is not one wasted scene or false note. The performances are excellent. I am not alone in my opinion: Ben Kingsley said in an interview I watched, that this was his favorite of all the movies he´s done. If you are a chess expert and expect this to be a technically correct in every way depiction of the game, it´s not. If you are not interested in chess and think this is about just chess, it´s not. It´s about relationships: mainly a father, son, and teacher relationship. No profanity, no blood, no sex, some tears and laughs, minor reference to drug use. It does not closely follow the book it´s based on (a true story written by the real life boy´s father) which is fine. It´s not a documentary.¤ 6) DVD DVD Searching for Bobby Fischer by Paramount. 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.¤ 7) DVD DVD Searching for Bobby Fischer by Paramount. Steve Zaillian, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Schindler´s List, made his directorial debut with this critically acclaimed but little-seen drama based on the nonfiction book by Fred Waitzkin, about a father (Joe Mantegna) who discovers that his seven-year-old son (Max Pomeranc) is a genius at playing chess. The boy plays chess for fun, but when he´s tutored by a former champion (Ben Kingsley) and entered into high-pressure competitions, an enjoyable pastime becomes a source of tension and resentment, forcing the father to reconsider his parental priorities. A poignant study of the difference between parental idealism and proper parenting, the movie is also an observantly witty portrait of a precocious child who is still, after all, a child, and still eager for the joyful discoveries of youth. While offering a fascinating look into the world of competitive chess, the movie´s dramatically engrossing and extremely well-acted by a brilliant cast that also includes David Paymer, William H. Macy, and Dan Hedaya in memorable supporting roles. --Jeff Shannon¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 23-Apr-2009, 6305910340097363267348, 030-650-406-OCB-KWB-TCB-NEB-BKB-8 
Searching for Bobby Fischer, DVD, Image © Paramount
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