DreamWorks Pictures Will Smith (left)
plays a mysterious caddy to Matt Damon’s (right)
golfer in Robert Redford’s "The Legend of Bagger Vance."
“The Legend of Bagger Vance” Starring Matt
Damon, Will Smith, Charlize Theron Directed by Robert
Redford
The film’s tag line, that every man has in him an
authentic, innate golf swing, oozes earnestly from Robert
Redford’s glossy adaptation of Steven Pressfield’s
novel. The insistent espousal of golf mysticism, though, renders
the film neither profound nor winsome, and the film fails as
mythology and as basic storytelling. The film centers on golf
prodigy Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), one of Savannah’s social
elite, who breaks off his promising golf career and his
relationship with the aristocratic and beautiful Adele (Charlize
Theron) to fight in the Great War. A dreadful battle, which leaves
Junuh the only survivor in his whole company, traumatizes him into
abandoning both Adele and his adoring hometown. Not until well into
the Great Depression, after numerous economic traumas and
realignments in the town, including the suicide of Adele’s
rich father, does Junuh return to Savannah. Now he’s needed
to play in an exhibition tournament at Adele’s inherited golf
course so that she can hold on to the vestiges of her
family’s wealth, and so that dignity can be restored to the
town. On the golf course, facing two slick and talented opponents,
Junuh confronts his past demons and the loss of his swing. The
mysterious arrival of a young black man named Bagger Vance (Will
Smith), who agrees to caddy for Junuh and lend advice, brings him
hope. Naturally, the film also suggests that a rekindling of Junuh
and Adele’s romance will play out during the course of the
tournament, and predictably it does. Despite glitzy production
values and an appealing cast, Redford’s handling of the love
story, the golf mysticism and the historical circumstances seem
muddled. The romance is straight out of a soap opera and is devoid
of any backstory that would drive our desire for its recuperation.
The film counts on the viewer’s inherent longing for
harmonious romance and shamelessly skips over any real development
to accommodate the audience. Moreover, Damon and Theron demonstrate
no chemistry together. Damon in particular seems rather wooden. And
Smith, laconically doling out cryptic advice, appears much too
youthful to play what is essentially Junuh’s spiritual guide;
it’s a role much better suited to someone like Morgan
Freeman, who can project complexity and wisdom with few words. The
film preaches that the mysticism of golf can help overcome
adversity, not just in a lost swing, but in life, too. But
we’re never really sure what or if this mysticism has any
influence on Junuh and Adele’s relationship. Its recuperation
occurs merely because Hollywood filmmaking demands such happy and
tidy closure. The film tries to carve itself a niche in American
myth in much the same way “Field of Dreams” did, but
doesn’t seem to want to earn it.
Jonathan Jones Rating: 4
“Charlie’s Angels” Starring Cameron
Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu Directed by McG
In the opening scene of “Charlie’s Angels,” a
mysterious passenger in first-class grumbles at the in-flight
entertainment, “T.J. Hooker: The Movie.” “Not
another movie from an old TV show.” Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.
This poke at turning a ’70s TV romp into a big budget
action-adventure pretty much sets the tone for the entire film.
Part “Matrix,” part “MI:2″ and part
“Baywatch,” this contemporary update of the
babealicious Aaron Spelling program provides an amusing, high-tech
and fast-paced escapade. Of course, at the heart of all the mayhem
and mascara are the three stars who slink on to the screen with
their own distinct charm. As though millionaire Charlie
Townsend’s elite detective agency, based in (where else?) the
City of Angels, continued into the 21st century, his latest trio of
intelligent and booty-kicking beauties are street-smart Dylan
(Barrymore), sunshine incarnate Natalie (Diaz) and sophisticated
Alex (Liu). And the sexy trio would not be complete without their
faithful sidekick, Bosley (a whimsical Bill Murray). The
Angels’ services are called upon when the wealthy Bill
Gates-esque owner of Knox Technologies is kidnapped from his
office. Apparently Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell) has invented a
state-of-the-art voice-identification software program that makes
fingerprints look stone-age. As a result, the ladies must put their
martial arts skills and private eye savvy to get the goods on
Knox’s rival, Roger Corwin (Tim Curry). Giving rise to more
girl power, these Angels one-up their predecessors with better
equipment and defense moves that would mystify Keanu Reeves. The
film’s great sense of fun comes from seeing all three
literally get down and dirty with the crooks. Although they do
borrow Tom Cruise’s face-peeling gimmick, the ladies also put
their sex appeal to use in disguises ranging from belly dancers to
race-car drivers. But seeing Barrymore and Diaz transform
themselves into businessmen also provides some amusement. And like
most modern women, the three do all this while balancing, in a
somewhat unrealistic fashion, a social life filled with boyfriends
who don’t know about their top-secret work. The hazy
good-girls-bad-guy plot, however, feels somewhat contrived. It
seems the script was accepted as long as it somehow incorporated
all the special effects, car chases and creative disguises.
“Charlie’s Angels” also teeters more toward camp
than comedy. On the one hand, it is empowering to see these
charismatic and clever women use their bodies as weapons without
ever having to pick up a gun. But for every fight sequence,
there’s a scene requiring one of the girls to turn some ass
or cleavage to the camera purely for the benefit of male viewers.
(Sorry guys, there’s no nudity.) And of course, they pay
tribute to their predecessor with small gestures like the constant
flipping of hair ““ a trademark of Jaclyn Smith and Farrah
Fawcett. Still, the movie’s high-kicking spirit and the
enduring popularity of the TV show make a sequel quite possible and
appealing. Plus, these three women emit a friendly rapport
on-screen which is really the film’s foundation. Never
underestimate the power of three.
Terry Tang Rating: 7