Setting the cast aside for the moment, Searching for Bobby Fischer is a wonderful film, and one I revisit every few years. In fact, I’m surprised I haven’t written about it before. Bobby Fischer, as you may recall, was the greatest chess prodigy of his time. He was (and is) also a deeply maladjusted man who went on to lead what appears to be a very unhappy life. Josh Waitzkin, who is real, was a chess prodigy whose family spared him that fate. This is their story, based on the book by his sportswriter father, Fred.
It’s a story about Josh, and the pull he feels among the various adults who try to mold him, to teach him, to love him, to push him. More importantly at this stage in my life path, it’s about parenthood and helping your child grow into himself without forcing him to grow into you. Fred (Mantegna, in the role that made me a lifetime fan), you see, is awestruck by his son’s talent. He tells a teacher (Laura Linney, just starting out), “He’s better at this than I have ever been at anything in my life. He’s better at this than you’ll ever be, at anything.” Joan Allen, as Bonnie Waitzkin, fears for what her husband and the men he trusts might unwittingly do to her son. And Josh (the fine Max Pomeranc, who has not gone on to pursue a career in acting) just wants to have fun, play chess, be a kid, and please his parents.
The film cuts to the secret heart of parenting, which is that nobody actually knows what they’re doing. All we have are our own experiences of childhood, maybe some books we’ve read, and our instincts. We as parents have our passions and our ambitions. We can get carried away. Sometimes, we can’t find the line between our children’s best interests and our own. Fred blows right through it, and Bonnie, as a good partner must, reels him back.
The film works as a life lesson, but it also works as a simple narrative. Josh seems real, as do the people in his life. Josh's chess education and matches feel important and thrilling, even for those of us without a deep appreciation of the game. The conflicts build from the characters, as opposed to being inflicted on them because good screenplays are supposed to have conflict. This is a compelling film, one that has me laughing, crying, and thrilling, as appropriate,on queue.
But back to the "life lesson" stuff: Searching for Bobby Fischer offers real wisdom, and it has taught me different lessons as I've moved along my life path. I love this movie, and I look ford to discovering what it has to teach me when I'm a grandfather.
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