Finding Forrester (PG-13)
20/08/13 00:25 Filed in: 2001
Starring: Sean Connery
January 2001
Sean Connery plays agoraphobic William Forrester, renowned author of two best-selling novels, who entered seclusion at the height of his success and now exists as a curmudgeonly recluse in the Bronx. Enter Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), a gifted writer who Forrester reluctantly takes under his wing (after the teen breaks into his apartment on a dare), teaching him the finer points of how to craft the Great American Novel. Jamal’s impressive grades pave the way for him to attend an upper crust school, where he makes friends with Claire Spence (Anna Paquin), but one of his teachers, Prof. Henry Crawford (F. Murray Abraham) has it in for him, claiming the young African American student is plagiarizing other famous works. The climactic scene, where Forrester visits Jamal’s class and reads one of his protégée’s works, is the moment of the film, very gratifying. There’s nothing revolutionary about Finding Forrester, but as a character study and a tale of self-discovery and friendship, the movie passes with flying colors.
Rating: 3