IMDb > The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
The Legend of Bagger Vance
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The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) More at IMDbPro »

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The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) -- A down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddy.
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   20,156 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Redford
Writers (WGA):
Steven Pressfield (novel)
Jeremy Leven (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Legend of Bagger Vance on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 November 2000 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance | Sport more
Tagline:
Some Things Can't Be Learned. They Must Be Remembered. more
Plot:
A down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddy. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 wins & 10 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(20 articles)
Matt Damon, from private campaigner to Hollywood's biggest star
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 9 November 2009, 1:59 AM, PST)
Steve Carell Hits the Clubs for New Film
 (From E! Online - Movies and Television. 26 October 2009, 7:20 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Will Smith and Matt Damon playing golf for two hours, much better than it sounds more (245 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Will Smith ... Bagger Vance

Matt Damon ... Rannulph Junuh

Charlize Theron ... Adele Invergordon

Bruce McGill ... Walter Hagen

Joel Gretsch ... Bobby Jones
J. Michael Moncrief ... Hardy Greaves

Lane Smith ... Grantland Rice
Peter Gerety ... Neskaloosa
Michael O'Neill ... O.B. Keeler
Thomas Jay Ryan ... Spec Hammond
Trip Hamilton ... Frank Greaves
Dermot Crowley ... Dougal McDermott
Harve Presnell ... John Invergordon
Danny Nelson ... McManus

Bob Penny ... Laidlaw
more
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
126 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES
Certification:
Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37600) | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | Canada:PG | Italy:T | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Beaufort, South Carolina, USA more
Company:
Allied Filmmakers more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
"Bagger Vance" and "R. Junuh" are representations of Bhagavan (Krishna) and Arjuna, from the Hindu text "The Bhagavad Gita". The lessons learned by Rannulph are loosely based on those Krishna teaches to Arjuna while masquerading as his lowly chariot driver. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The second day of the match is a Sunday. The barber shop is open and the father is working a street sweeper - both unlikely to occur on a Sunday in the 1920s in the South. more
Quotes:
Hardy Greaves: I heard my dad say that you won every golf tournament there ever was in the South and how you hit a drive so long that they made you stop playin for 20 minutes just to measure it for a record... and how you used to swing righty, but you were in the woods once by this tree so there was no room to swing righty... so you borrowed somebody's lefty club and hit the ball six inches from the hole... more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "South Park: Here Comes the Neighborhood (#5.12)" (2001) more
Soundtrack:
My Best Wishes more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
16 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
Will Smith and Matt Damon playing golf for two hours, much better than it sounds, 22 October 2007
7/10
Author: ExpendableMan from United Kingdom

The thing you have to bear in mind when watching The Legend of Bagger Vance is that sports movies, by their very definition, tend to match the atmosphere of the sport they depict. Football or Ice hockey movies for instance tend to be loud, bombastic and flashy, just like the games themselves. Basketball movies meanwhile often rely on the street/hip hop connection and are just as loud, but with a slightly more gritty edge to them, provided you completely forget about the atrocious Space Jam. Bagger Vance on the other hand revolves entirely around golf and consequently, is a lot quieter, slower paced and gentle than its brash genre cousins, but it nevertheless possesses a charm and subtlety that is quite endearing.

Told completely in flashback, the film's story involves Matt Damon's depressed World War One veteran Rannulph Junnuh taking part in a highly publicised golf tournament against two established (real life) professionals - Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. At first things don't look good, Junnuh hasn't played the game since getting back from the trenches and is a slovenly drunken washout and despite having the support of the townsfolk, nobody really expects him to win. And then he gets a new caddy in the shape of Bagger Vance (Will Smith).

At this point I imagine alarm bells are ringing in your head. Will Smith must mean wise-cracking, one-liners and the word 'damn' being stretched out so that it consists of two syllables right? Well you'll be relieved to know that Bagger is a pleasant change of direction for the normal Smith stereotype. Relaxing on his heels and working his acting muscles instead of his action hero ones, Smith is the undeniable soul of the movie. His eminently likable charm is still there, but he relies more on home spun wisdom and gentle prodding to help Damon back into his game, rather than calling him a honkey and effecting a cocky swagger. Playing off against him, Matt Damon is suitably vulnerable and insecure but is overshadowed a bit and with the exception of Junnuh's two rivals, the rest of the cast might as well be superfluous. Thankfully, Junnuh's redemption and Vance's easy going friendship is enough to carry the film and the story, while corny, is just as charming as the title character.

Elsewhere, director Robert Redford once again shows off his knack for beautiful cinematography. As most of the film takes place on golf courses you're never too far away from some gorgeous scenery and the contrast between the vibrant green vegetation and stunning blue sky makes Bagger Vance a feast for the eyes. Given the film's somewhat slow pace, it also makes this an ideal choice for a wet Sunday afternoon where you'd like to go for a walk and appreciate the countryside but are unable to thanks to the rain.

That said, Bagger Vance still has its faults. The writing is a bit hackneyed and anyone who doesn't like cheese would do well to stay away. Junnuh's love interest sub-plot with golf promoter Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron) meanwhile feels tacked on and unnecessary, as though somewhere along the production line someone decided that if Junnuh was to fully come to terms with himself he'd have to get it on with a sweet country belle. The positives outweigh the negatives though and if you're in the mood for a relaxing, slow paced movie with a lot of subtleties that not everyone will appreciate, you can't really go wrong with Bagger Vance. This is a film to watch with your feet up, the house clean and a big mug of hot chocolate in your hand. And refreshingly enough for a sports movie, it doesn't feature a scene where a big crowd begins cheering wildly while over-the-top power ballads play in the background, that alone should be enough to raise an eyebrow or two.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
possibly Will Smith's best work naomsters
If you actually listen, this movie teaches you how to play golf. wiebejammen
Watching Right Now? DrZeyus
Adele selfish? stealthblue2001
Racism? psypathrec
Jack Lemmon ottoman-umpire
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