Director Gus van Sant's previous film, Good Will Hunting, was a smash hit when it was released in 1997. It won Oscars and was made $225.9 million at the box office on a $10 million budget. Then, the big question happened: How would van Sant follow this up? The answer is Finding Forrester. Released three years later, Finding Forrester is the story of Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), a black teenager living in New York, who befriends award-winning and reclusive author William Forrester (Sean Connery). William helps Jamal find his identity when he's accepted into a good private school in the area. While Finding Forrester received mostly positive reviews, it was nothing on the level of Good Will Hunting. While it is still a good movie because of its acting, character development, and its soundtrack, Finding Forrester just can't escape the shadow of van Sant's previous work.
In one of his final roles before his retirement, Sean Connery gives it his all as reclusive author William Forrester. While it certainly isn't the best of his career and not worthy of an Oscar, it's still one of the best performances of the film. What makes Finding Forrester truly shine is Rob Brown as Jamal Wallace. He is since an established actor now, but Finding Forrester was his very first role. Brown really made the movie for me, but that doesn't really say much for the rest of the cast. Jamal's friend Claire (Anna Paquin), his professor Crawford (F. Murray Abraham), and Jamal's brother Terrell (rapper Busta Rhymes) all have criminally underwritten roles. For example, William's advice to Jamal on trying to become friends with Claire is that "the key to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time." So, Jamal gives Claire a copy of William's Pulitzer Prize-winning (and only published) book, Avalon Landing. Claire's only main reaction is "This is so unexpected! Wow!" All of them are experienced actors, but the under-developed script was what did them in. Even Matt Damon's appearance seemed forced, mainly because of the previous success of Good Will Hunting.
Similar to the acting, the character development has been mainly kept to Jamal and William. Their development throughout the plot is well written, but as more characters like Claire and Crawford are introduced, they seemed more like side characters. Yes, the film is about Jamal and William, but the writers could've taken a lot more time with developing Claire's, Crawford's, and even Terrell's story to be at least on par with Jamal and William's arc. Another thing I liked about the film was its score. Acclaimed jazz artist Terence Blanchard composed and performed the film's original score, and the best way I could describe it is "eclectic." That is most of Blanchard's music anyway, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Overall, Gus van Sant has made a good and watchable film in Finding Forrester, but glaring plot and character issues stop it from being the next Good Will Hunting. Connery and Brown elevate this relatively weak script into something worth watching. If Jamal and William were played by different actors, Finding Forrester would have been much closer to the edge of being a cinematic dumpster fire. If you were a fan of Good Will Hunting and just need a step back from all the franchises and sequels and reboots in Hollywood, Finding Forrester will be your flavor of the month. 7/10 or B
In one of his final roles before his retirement, Sean Connery gives it his all as reclusive author William Forrester. While it certainly isn't the best of his career and not worthy of an Oscar, it's still one of the best performances of the film. What makes Finding Forrester truly shine is Rob Brown as Jamal Wallace. He is since an established actor now, but Finding Forrester was his very first role. Brown really made the movie for me, but that doesn't really say much for the rest of the cast. Jamal's friend Claire (Anna Paquin), his professor Crawford (F. Murray Abraham), and Jamal's brother Terrell (rapper Busta Rhymes) all have criminally underwritten roles. For example, William's advice to Jamal on trying to become friends with Claire is that "the key to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time." So, Jamal gives Claire a copy of William's Pulitzer Prize-winning (and only published) book, Avalon Landing. Claire's only main reaction is "This is so unexpected! Wow!" All of them are experienced actors, but the under-developed script was what did them in. Even Matt Damon's appearance seemed forced, mainly because of the previous success of Good Will Hunting.
Similar to the acting, the character development has been mainly kept to Jamal and William. Their development throughout the plot is well written, but as more characters like Claire and Crawford are introduced, they seemed more like side characters. Yes, the film is about Jamal and William, but the writers could've taken a lot more time with developing Claire's, Crawford's, and even Terrell's story to be at least on par with Jamal and William's arc. Another thing I liked about the film was its score. Acclaimed jazz artist Terence Blanchard composed and performed the film's original score, and the best way I could describe it is "eclectic." That is most of Blanchard's music anyway, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Overall, Gus van Sant has made a good and watchable film in Finding Forrester, but glaring plot and character issues stop it from being the next Good Will Hunting. Connery and Brown elevate this relatively weak script into something worth watching. If Jamal and William were played by different actors, Finding Forrester would have been much closer to the edge of being a cinematic dumpster fire. If you were a fan of Good Will Hunting and just need a step back from all the franchises and sequels and reboots in Hollywood, Finding Forrester will be your flavor of the month. 7/10 or B