Review of Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) by Ray D — 12 Jul 2008
Probably the best film about a prepubescent chess prodigy I've ever seen (granted, this may be the only film about a prepubescent chess prodigy I've ever seen), this is actually based on a true story, and has very little to do with Bobby Fischer.
The main character is played by Max Pomeranc, who's a strong actor here, and seems to have fallen into the child actor-abyss. His family discovers he's a bit of a chess prodigy and hires him an instructor (Ben Kingsley) who tries to teach him to adopt Bobby Fischer's worldview to become 'more competitive' and a better chess player.
Pomeranc refuses, taking advice instead from a parkside chess player (Laurence Fishburne, great as usual). The rest of the cast is strong as well (Joan Allen, Laura Linney, William H. Macy, Dan Hedaya, etc) and the script manages to be balanced and provocative in its portrayal of a relationship between parents who want the best for a child with a gift, and a child who has their own ideas about what's best for themself.
This review of Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) was written by Ray D on 12 Jul 2008.
Searching for Bobby Fischer has generally received very positive reviews.
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