The Legend of Bagger Vance film review

certificate_PG

THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE

Much of Robert Reford's directorial work has been epitomized by lush cinematography, outdoor settings and slightly saccharine plotlines (think of A River Runs Through It, The Milagro Beanfield War and The Horse Whisperer). The Legend of Bagger Vance contains all of these elements: its golfing premise allows Redford to linger on the pictorial beauty of the sport, and its story of good guy gone bad turned good again gives it the requisite amount of sugar. The extra ingredient Redford has added turns out to be the film's downfall however, for this is the first film about golf, mysticism and Zen.

Set in Savannah in the 1920s, the picture tells the story of the world's greatest golf tournament between the legendary Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and the former star of the south Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon). Down on his luck and shattered by his wartime experiences, Junuh has rejected golf for booze and gambling and initially refuses to take part in the tournament. That is until one night when Bagger Vance (Smith) literally appears out of the darkness and offers to caddy for Junuh in the match. Most of the film's second half is taken up by the three day event, with Vance offering often trite and vaguely Taoist tips to Junuh.

Tension and pacing are foregone in this uneven film, and pretension becomes the order of the day as Junuh struggles to conquer his inner demons. The actors are simply miscast: Damon is too young, Smith lacks the necessary gravitas and Theron fails to convince with her best Southern Belle impression.

Redford has tackled many sports both as director and performer: skiing, baseball and fishing among them. But he has bitten off more than he can chew here, because golf divides people possibly more than any other sport. Fans and addicts of the game will leave the theatre hankering for a repeat viewing of Ron Shelton's superior Tin Cup (not to mention Caddyshack), while anyone who already hates the game is unlikely to be converted to its merits.