Searching for Bobby Fischer

 3.5/4

Starring: Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Joan Allen, Laurence Fishburne

Rated PG for Thematic Elements

I found "Searching for Bobby Fischer" fascinating from frame one.  I'm not a big chess player because I'm terrible at it, but the depth and complexity to the game is grows more incredible the more one thinks about it.  Of course, the problem with chess is two-fold: it's so complex that to even hint at its depth risks the film becoming hopelessly didactic and, more importantly, chess isn't an inherently cinematic sport.  What's great about Steven Zallian's (a legendary screenwriter who made this his directorial debut) film is that it elegantly sidesteps both hurdles, and becomes a mentally and emotionally enriching film.

Josh Waitzkin (Pomeranc) is an average 7 year old kid living in New York with his family.  He is fascinated by the street hustlers playing speed chess.  His eyes go left and right as he sees their room.  Josh is an amazing processor of information, and when his mother Bonnie (Allen) allows him to challenge one of them, he surprises everyone by winning.  No one is more thrilled with this than his father Fred (Mantengna), who also challenges his son to a game.  Josh's ability is instinctive, and can correctly make a move after merely looking at the board while he is on the phone.  Fred puts him in touch with an old master, a secretive man named Bruce Pandolfini (Kingsley), who becomes his tutor.  Soon, Josh is winning tournaments left and right and becoming a known name in the kids chess circuit.  But with every rise, there is certain to be a fall.  Bruce warns that Josh is took instinctive, picking up too many bad habits from hustlers like Vinnie (Fishburne).

Storywise, "Searching for Bobby Fischer" is your old fashioned formula.  But Zallian is less interested in what happens than why it happens and who it happens to.  It could be argued that this film is a psychological thriller, in fact.  The tension comes from this area.  Will Josh vanquish his opponents, or will he crack under the pressure?  And who will he listen to, Bruce or Vinnie?  More importantly, will the attempts of the adults to manipulate his talent for their own ends backfire?

The beating heart of the film is the relationships Josh has with Fred, Bruce and Vinnie.  All three are good men and clearly love young Josh, but they may not have his best interests at heart.  Fred is proud of his son, but his drive to get Josh to be the best overlooks the boy's feelings.  He is willfully unaware of Josh's desires about playing competitively, and perhaps wants to experience his success vicariously (watch how cocky he acts when interviewed by the news).  Bruce knows chess better than anyone in the movie, and teaches Josh strategy, discipline and creative thinking.  But he is a different kind of player than Josh, and his advice to be cautious and dominate his opponents is at odds with his young student, who is both kind-hearted and a more aggressive player.  Finally, Vinnie teaches him to outsmart his opponents and catch them off guard, but reckless behavior like that is very risky.

The push and pull of these three relationships is thrilling to watch.  All four of these characters are very smart, and the drama of the film is watching Josh absorb their teaching is well-written and acted.  Ultimately what is most important is one that Josh teaches them: there is no one way to play chess.  All you can do is teach what you know and have the player find their own way through it.  If there is one flaw with this movie, it's that Vinnie doesn't have nearly as much screen time as Fred and Bruce.  For someone who so obviously plays such a key role in the development of Josh's talents, it creates an imbalance by not having him have as much screen time as the others.

One other interesting element is how it deals with the competition of the parents (fathers, specifically).  Fred and the other fathers, such as the ones played by David Paymer, William H. Macy and Anthony Heald seem far more invested in these tournaments than their kids (Heald's character comes to blows with the staff when he breaks the rules on viewing the tournament...after which the kids burst into applause).  It isn't overplayed, but it does raise questions about the roles of parents of highly talented kids whose constant stress is leading to burnout.  Similar questions were raised in "Gifted," another great film about a similar situation.

The consistently high level of acting helps bring out the film's complex themes and feelings.  From top to bottom, there isn't a weak link to be found.  It's especially surprising considering that the lead role of Josh is played not by an actor, but by a boy who himself was a chess prodigy.  Max Pomeranc was chosen because the filmmakers wanted someone who could look convincing playing chess, and he does.  He has a very expressive face, and we can see that he is thinking, sizing up his opponents and planning his moves.  But we also see the inner conflict in him and his complicated feelings about his father, his mentors and the game itself.  It's a very good performance, but unfortunately he didn't have the desire to be an actor.  There are brief appearances in this movie by future stars such as Laura Linney and Tony Shaloub to look out for.

"Searching for Bobby Fischer" is an example of why I love the movies.  It's thoughtful, perceptive and suspenseful.  Highly recommended.