Review of Finding Forrester (2000) by Cameron J — 30 May 2014

I'm sorry, but I just can't help but think of "Forrester Gump", which is wrong, because no matter how much he ran, Forrester appears to have been found. Yes, people, to continue my lame puns, after all of this "Good Will Hunting", it would appear as though we finally found Forrester. That's a little joke for Gus Van Sant fans out there, seeing as how they seem to be the only ones who remember this film, but I am kind of serious, because, like "Good Will Hunting", this film is about a humble, but troubled older man who helps a promising, but disturbed lad realize his potential as a genius. Well, I don't know if you could call this a sequel of sorts, because "Good Will Hunting" was white something fierce, whereas this film is so the opposite of that that it's about a black kid, and actually has the audacity to give Busta Rhymes a supporting role. On top of all of that, I mean, come on, the mentor in question is Sean Connery, who may as well be black, because he's such a notorious player with all of his smoothness, or rather, "shmoothnesh". Forget the titular character of William Forrester, because I think I'm more baffled at how they found Connery himself, or at least at how they were able to put Connery in a good, non-"James Bond" film. However, with that said, I don't know if it's quite "Good Will Hunting" good, for a number of reasons.

It's a relatively long while before such major characters as Sean Connery's titular William Forrester character comes into play, and focal inconsistencies don't end there, peaking at that point, sure, but convoluting narrative structure throughout the course of this layered drama, thanks largely to the film's spending a touch too much time focusing on each individual layer. An intimate drama which flirts with a relatively whopping runtime of 140 minutes, this film, no matter how compelling, outstays its welcome, and it really begins to try your patience once you begin to get used to Gus Van Sant's thoughtful directorial pacing, which then devolves to limpness that all but bores you while you await a height in storytelling. Of course, once these heights come into play, they are themselves a little problematic, placing certain cheesy and far-fetched themes in a dramatic context that results in a certain sentimentality which kind of betrays the drama that is generally realized in its bite. A no point is the film ever all that corny, but honestly, it can get a little overblown and ambitious with its dramatics, almost in a dramatically lazy fashion that reinforces a predictability which is established in the first place by conventions. I suppose a sense of inspiration within Van Sant's direction gives the film something of a refreshing feel, but once you cut through the veil, it's hard to deny that this story is hardly anything new, even for Van Sant, being not much more than an urban/white savior answer to "Good Will Hunting" that takes tropes both from the Van Sant classic and a number of other urban dramas, until it feels hopelessly derivative on the whole, no matter how hard Van Sant tries, to an extent that is. Like I said, there are lazy spots in Van Sant's storytelling, and they shine a light on shortcomings in the narrative itself, until the final product finds its reward value threatened. Of course, it is ultimately firmly secured by inspiration that outweighs the shortcomings, anchored by good tastes, even in music.

Deciding to give Danny Elfman a break for a while, ostensibly because he didn't want to run the risk of drawing yet more comparisons between this film and "Good Will Hunting", Gus Van Sant plays with an unoriginal soundtrack that recycles modernist minimal compositions and even a couple free jazz pieces which do anything from liven up entertainment value to compliment dramatic tenderness in a manner that is genuinely unique, and therefore helps in compensating for the lack of uniqueness to the narrative. The film is rather held back by its story's sheer familiarity, which you have time to ponder upon due to the draggy telling of such a story concept, and yet, no matter how familiar, this subject matter is worthy as a tasteful and surprisingly not-too cloying portrait on working to better yourself, both on the path to a new life and in the twilight of life, whose effectiveness can be made or broken by its interpretation. Mike Rich's script is overblown, both with its histrionics and, of course, with its structure, which is often uneven and overblown, yet still pretty tightly extensive in a lot of ways, particularly when it comes to characterization that is well-rounded in crafting derivative, but intriguing characters, brought to life by strong performances. These performances are underwritten in a drama this minimalist, but just about everyone plays his or her part as best he or she can, with leads Rob Brown and Sean Connery carrying the film, not just with charisma and nuance, but with a thoroughly endearing chemistry that helps in defining this intimate character study. Brown and Connery take this drama with subtlety and grace, and that's more than you can say about many of the storytelling attributes of this drama, but not too much more than what you can say than most storytelling touches, from Van Sant, that is. Working with a conceptually sensitive drama, Van Sant holds the power to either drive the film as consistently compelling, or cut it short of realized, and while Van Sant stands to have a more comfortable grip on this sometimes sentimental affair, his steady and thoughtful approach, more than it is slow, is charming, with a tastefulness that allows you to get a feel for the weight of this intimate endeavor, particularly when backed by highlights in dramatic kick that move. I suppose the film stands to be more consistent in his realization, but the fact of the matter is that this is a worthy story, and Van Sant knows it, doing what he can to craft a generally rewarding character study.

In closing, uneven focus and pacing all but aimlessly drag the film along a path so sentimental and formulaic that it threatens the final product, but on the backs of a solid unoriginal score, well-characterized script, strong acting and chemistry, - particularly between Rob Brown and Sean Connery - and tasteful direction, all behind worthy subject matter, "Finding Forrester" compels and rewards as an urban melodrama on embracing the opportunities handed to you in life.

3/5 - Good.