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For Sunday August 16th: Searching For Bobby Fisher
Genre: Drama/Inspirational Story

The Cover Reads...
After watching speed chess in Washington Square Park, 7-year-old Josh Waitzken (Max Pomeranc) gets hooked on the game. Josh's father (solidly played by Joe Mantegna) learns that his son is a chess whiz and decides to hire an implacable chess master (Ben Kingsley) to coach the boy. When Josh is entered into high-stress competitions, what was once a pleasant hobby turns into a source of anxiety and indignation, forcing dad to reassess his decision.

The Ups
I love Chess. I love watching a good match, I love learning about it, and I even love reading about it. Having said that, I am not very good at it. Which is why it is so enthralling to see people who truly excel at this game. This film brilliantly shows that to you, whether you play chess or not. Shown through the eyes of 7-year-old Josh Waitzken, the level of play showcased in this film can only be described as artistry, and something most people can only aspire to.

Played by Max Pomeranc, Waitzken is a child chess prodigy who is first exposed to chess in Washington Square Park where the wild and unpredictable style of "speed chess" is played. After Josh's father (Joe Mantegna) is shown first hand how good his son is, he decides to have him taught by a chess master. (Ben Kingsley) However as the parallel with World Chess Champion Bobby Fisher is shown throughout the movie, success with a game hardly translates to happiness. Fisher's matches were thought of as models of elegance and mastery however, Fisher's life outside of chess characterized by solitude, long disappearances and awkward outbursts led many people to question his sanity. Which is partly how the downside of genius is brought to light as the pressures and anxiety of competition are shown through Josh. He struggles with balancing the success of his chess matches with keeping in touch with his father and himself.

The underlying themes of being yourself and acceptance are also shown here through solid performances from Mantegna and Laurence Fishburne. Mangtegna plays the part of a father who almost pushes his son a bit too hard at the cost of losing a bond with his son, while Fishburne plays a free-spirited speed chess player who contradicts the teachings of Waitzken's formal chess teacher and both do an outstanding job.

Another factor that I love about this movie is the screenplay written by Steven Zaillian. In my opinion it is awesome. Showing both the ups and downs of competition, genius and the innocence of youth all while creating a story and characters that engage you effortlessly.

The Downs
You'll probably venture online to try a chess match or two because Searching For Bobby Fisher really does make you want to play chess. However you'll soon realize that you, unlike a child prodigy, are going to get your ass kicked.

The Wrap Up
Searching For Bobby Fisher is a great family drama that inspires you to always keep sight of the things that are truly important, and that no matter how good you are at something, it should never dominate your life. It's an fun, moving, intriguing look at child prodigies, chess and life values done by a great cast.