Review of Searching for Bobby Fischer

I am a pretty good chess player. Chess is not a game; it is an obsession. Once you take the game seriously, it ceases to be just a game. I have won a few minor tournaments and I lost the major ones. Then I lost interest and stopped playing tournaments because I couldn't be the best. Then the game became fun for me again. Now, I have a nine year old son, Joe. He never played a game of chess in his life. Then I showed him how each piece moved and we played a game. The first game we played, he got slaughtered. No mercy; that's how we play games in the Tafero house. The second time we played, he actually had me retreating for a few moves before I finally won. His strength amazed me, and I tried to encourage him to try again, but he lost interest after losing the two games. It also occurred to me that I would not become a "chess dad". There are all kinds of dads like that; I knew a baseball dad when I was very young, and a football dad when I was in high school. Both kids became emotional wrecks. I would never want that for my son, so we just have fun when we play games. I taught him not to be a sore loser, and to congratulate his opponent after he lost any game. He is smart enough to be happy and successful without being the best at any game. It's the game of life that counts the most. That is the theme of this film, and it is executed brilliantly by all the great actors in the film from A-Z. The direiction is as crisp as well-done bacon, and the production values are letter-perfect. What parent would want their child to suffer like Bobby Fishcher? Not me. I don't care how many millions he would make or how famous he would be. It is just not worth it. A happy life is FAR more important. Sadly, this film was not a box office success, because by the time the film came out, Bobby Fischer was no longer a hot topic, and American filmgoers are genderally not too well-informed about cerebral games. They prefer goofy comedies and violence; this has nothing to do with either. Every dad (and mom) should see this film with their child; it is more instructive in life skills than a year of social studies.