User reviews

For chessplayers and non-chessplayers alike, this is a secret gem of a movie.

Anyone who have watched Josh Waitzkin's tutorials in the Chessmaster computer-game will probably have done some research into who he is, and probably this movie will have popped up somewhere in your search.

For all of you who have found the movie that way: Go rent or buy it.

For all the rest: Go rent or buy it.

Why?: Cause it's not really about chess at all. It's a story about a 7 year old kid, taking a very keen interest in a hobby (and being VERY, VERY good at it), and also a story of his family and teachers pressuring him.

Besides a strong cast of people like Fishburn, Kingsley and Montegna, it also has some humorous moment (like the tuna-sandwich guy (William H. Macy)).

All in all, very watchable for everyone, and one of the first movies I've felt like commenting on here.

Only drawback: The link to Fischer was unnecessary, and doesn't add anything to the movie.

***SPOILERS*** The movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer" parallels the lives of Grand Chess Master Bobby Fischer with that of young seven year-old chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, Max Pomeranc. The movie does it by inserting newsreel footage of Bobby winning the World Chess Championship Tournament in Reykjavik Iceland back in 1972 against the Soviet Unions Boris Spassky. It then jumps back to when Bobby Fischer was a young boy, and man, in the 1950's and 1960's as his obsession with chess brought him the fame and glory that he sought. Yet at the same time denied him the life of a normal boy growing up in post WWII America that his night and day chess fixation cost him.

Josh has lots of promise in becoming a future Bobby Fischer; he has a computer-like mind and a natural ability to foresee moves by his opponents, even before they even know that they'll make them. One thing that Josh doesn't have is that drive and determination, as well as killer-instinct, that Bobby Fisher had and as far as I know still does in playing to win and pulverizing his opponents into the ground by doing it.

Josh likes all kinds of sports, besides chess, and his dad Fred Waitzkin, Joe Mantegna, is a sports writer who takes Josh along to the Yankee and New York Mets baseball games where the young boy really has as much of a good time watching the ball games as he has playing chess. Fred realizes what a whiz his young son Josh is in the game of chess and wants to have him study the finer points of the game by hiring former national chess champion Bruce Pandolfini, Ben Kingsley, to tutor him and Bruce right away realizes that Josh has the makings of another Bobby Fischer. What does bother Bruce about Josh is his playing with the local chess hustlers like Winnie, Laurence Fishburn, in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. Which, in Bruce's opinion, is far to fast and doesn't give young Josh time to develop his all around concentration and understanding of the game of chess.

During the course of the movie Josh is driven relentlessly by Bruce in his attempt to mold him into another Bobby Fischer but Josh slowly starts to lose his interest in winning all the chess tournaments that he enters. The very fact of his invincibility makes Josh feel uneasy since it's always expected of him to win, like the sun is expected to rise in the morning, that there's no fun or excitement in it for him any more. Losing becomes more of a growing experience for Josh and even arouses his passions in making him feel more human. Josh is also too sensitive to beat down his opponents, like Bobby Fischer did. That later lost him the championship game against the likewise seven year-old chess phenomenon Jonathan Poe, Michael Nirenberg.

After his defeat to Jonathan Josh is looked on as if he let down all those who believed in him and at the same time he starts to get his life back together as a young boy living a normal life and not carrying the weight of the entire world of chess on his shoulders. It's during this time that the real talent that Josh had in playing chess comes up to the surface, without him being driven relentlessly by Bruce. Those untapped talents leads him to go back to playing chess, first with his friend at the park Winnie, and then working his way back in winning a number of tournaments to his becoming a top chess champion competitor. All that finally earns Josh a re-match with Jonathan for the Junior Chess Championship of the US in Chicago at the conclusion of the film.

Powerful movie and very intense for the young boys and girls in it in how they drive and push themselves to be the best at the game of chess and at the same time putting themselves in danger of sacrificing their one and only childhood to do it.

Josh Waitzkin did reach the top back then when the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer" was made in 1993 and is still there some ten years, and dozens of tournaments, later. He did it without losing both his childhood and his kind heart and sensitivity for his fellow man by doing it.

Josh Waitzkin is a regular boy in NYC who quickly picks up the game of chess. He befriends chess hustler Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne) who plays in Washington Square. Josh's parents (Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen) hire chess coach Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley) who tries to teach him regimented chess. It's a struggle for Josh's heart between his two mentors Vinnie and Bruce.

This is truly a wonderful movie. It is all heart. Max Pomeranc plays it with so much feeling with so few words. I love that he deliberately loses to his father at the start. He's a boy who is trying to grow up and many times, he shows that he's actually the adult in the relationships. Director Steven Zaillian makes so many great moves. And the great actors are all doing their parts. It's a really sweet movie.

Chess is a challenging game that hasn't been given its due in the art of cinema, so it's a pity "Searching for Bobby Fischer", one of the few "chess movies" out there, offers an unconvincing, Hollywoodized treatment of the subject. This is one of those completely conventional, crowd-pleasing entertainments that make everything look too easy (it almost argues that one doesn't need to practice or study to become really good at something, as long as he has a natural gift for it; I'm sure the real Josh Waitzkin would dismiss all that as pure baloney), and rely on a predictable "Rocky"-type final showdown (in this case, against a mean-spirited little chess whiz). Nonetheless, with such a splendid cast (including an excellent performance by newcomer Max Pomeranc), it would be impossible for this film not to have its interesting and affecting moments. (**1/2)

Let me start by saying I am not a person who goes for sentimental, "heart on your sleeve" type big dramas that seem to be the idol of most professional critics. In fact, to put it bluntly I totally loathe them. (I prefer movies that at least try to have a cohesive plot line with a reasonably accessible story idea and some decent tight pacing; ie: something that's both informative and fun. This is my interpretation of the classic idea of "a good story, well told".)

With that in mind, I wish to state that this movie (film, whatever) really does work, at all levels. It's a good intelligent story (apparently based on fact} about a very bright, very young kid who is discovered to be naturally good at chess and enters the serious national tournaments. During which time, there are raised issues of the concept of the winning ethos; and keeping (or losing) your humanity in the process.

This cast is magnificent here. The central leads are played by Joe Mantegna and Max Pomerance as the father and son respectively. Both give very well-balanced performances. Sensitive, without being sappy. Max in particular is very good, especially in the dramatic climax of the film; which he handles with total dignity. It could have been so over the top and patronizing in lesser hands, but this time it isn't.

They are ably supported by Laurence Fishburne and Ben Kingsley as two different types of coaches, from "opposite side of the tracks" (sorry for that old cliché). It may seem formulaic, but in this case the dramatic contrasts works surprisingly well, and both come over as intelligent representatives of their particular points of view. And there are also great character moments by David Paymer {QUIZ SHOW, MR Saturday NIGHT, etc} and Hal Scardino {THE Indian IN THE CUPBOARD} as well.

Over all, I would highly commend this film as the type of story that manages to tread the fine line between intelligent ideas and an entertaining story. I recommend it to everyone. Give it half a chance and it can work for you. It really is a great example of intelligently entertaining!

Despite the title, "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993) isn't about the extraordinary chess champion, Bobby Fischer, but rather true-life chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin (played convincingly by Max Pomeranc). The story chronicles his rise to prominence as a 7-8 year-old in the world of chess competition. The eccentric and reclusive Fischer permeates the proceedings, however, as he's constantly referred to and there's even footage of him being interviewed or beating a dozen experts simultaneously, etc. Joe Mantegna and Joan Allen play Josh's father & mother while Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne play his formal and informal teachers respectively.

I don't think you need to know about chess to enjoy this film, but it wouldn't hurt. It's primarily a drama and, secondarily, a sports film. Being about chess, it lacks the action of conventional sports films, but it's a sports film nevertheless with its inherent formula. Regardless, I was surprised at how suspenseful they made the final match, which isn't easy to do since chess doesn't seemingly lend itself to cinema.

This is a film that'll likely improve on repeat viewings because there are a few interesting subtexts. For instance, Josh's formal instructor and his dad keep trying to mold him into the likeness of Fischer and his misanthropic mindset, but Josh's mother and informal instructor encourage him to be who he is and play naturally. The former two foster rigid discipline and contemptible aggressiveness while the latter two encourage spontaneity and the joy of the game. Perhaps a balance between both is best.

Years ago I informally studied chess for a couple of years, reading books and manually performing all the moves, buying & playing computer sets, etc. but I'd only be considered average at best compared to the child players in the film. The reason I bring this up is because, as much as I knew on the topic at the time, I realized I merely touched the surface and that there were whole new realms to explore, learn and master. This is the way it is with any great sport/art/topic/occupation. To truly grasp any one of them and master it to any degree requires serious determination and great sacrifice. You can't be a jack of all trades and expect to be extraordinary in one.

The movie also seems to be saying that you shouldn't sacrifice everything else to be a chess master and lose the joy of playing, the joy of living. After all, what good is that? While this is true, it only goes so far and Waitzkin's life since the movie proves it: He wanted to do other things than be a chess champion, which is fine, but to do so he had to drop out of chess competition altogether, which he did in 1999. By contrast, Garry Kasparov is considered the most consistent chess champion, holding the record for the longest time as the No. 1 rated player in the world from 1986 to 2005 (two freakin' decades), precisely because of his skill, determination and sacrifices.

The movie inspires you to look up the incredible Fischer who reigned supreme in the 60s through early 70s and then dropped off the face of the earth. In 1981 he stayed with grandmaster Peter Biyiasas for four months where he beat Biyiasas seventeen times in speed chess. Biyiasas later testified in a Sports Illustrated interview: "He was too good. There was no use in playing him. It wasn't interesting. I was getting beaten, and it wasn't clear to me why. It wasn't like I made this mistake or that mistake. It was like I was being gradually outplayed, from the start. He wasn't taking any time to think. The most depressing thing about it is that I wasn't even getting out of the middle game to an endgame. I don't ever remember an endgame. Bobby honestly believes there is no one for him to play, no one worthy of him. I played him, and I can attest to that."

Bobby Fischer never viewed the film, but rightly complained that it was improper to use his name and footage of him without his permission. Fischer never received any compensation from the movie and said he was swindled.

Look for the beautiful Laura Linney in a bit part.

The film runs 109 minutes and was shot in New York City, including Washington Square (where numerous scenes take place), and Toronto.

GRADE: B+

_Searching for Bobby Fischer_ is possessive of a certain wonderful insight; it is a film that offers no heart-warming premeses and still manages to ease the soul.

The characters dwell in an utterly contemporary world; you will find no neighbors hauling in bags of money, chiming churchbells, perfect families, or million-dollar smiles anywhere in the film. At the same time, this world of this film exhibits a resilience against its crueler realities that most of the art of the twentieth century eschewed in favor of probing the darkness of existence. Yes, the main characters are prosperous, but the spectre of Fischer hangs over the world as a daunting warning of things to come. The mood of the piece, enhanced by the excellent cinematography, sets the film up to succeed wonderfully, and the actors and text deliver.

One of the things I like the most about this movie, superficially, is that it does not insult the game of chess as it depicts it. The depiction of the chess world is insightful and accurate, from the sharp division between granite-hewn chess scholars and colorful tactical wizards to the truly unequaled awe and gravity accompanying the notion of the Grandmaster. Perhaps these are things that can only truly be appreciated by those who have ventured to this world, but, thankfully, the film integrates these elements seamlessly into a universal story that is original and poignant in its detail and elegance.

Every actor in this film is spectacular, without exception. That is a bold statement, but it is completely justified. At no point do any of the actors miss a step; all the performances are smooth and appear to be utterly effortless. In their featured roles, Ben Kingsley and Lawrence Fishburne put in performances that match in art, craft, and intensity, if not in length, any of their more prominent film roles. Joan Allen is mind-bogglingly wonderful, considering how precise she has to be to fit such a massive character into such a truncated part in the script. This is Joe Mantena's very finest performance, and, of course, this movie contains child acting to match any film ever made. Even the bit parts are acted with intensity, depth, and elegance. A lot of this is easy to miss because, on the surface, the film is so even-handed, but repeated viewings continually bring to attention wonderful nuances of these performances.

Any summary or synopsis will fail to accurately relate the "message" of this film; as in any great work of art, the quickest, most efficient way to word the resolution of the film's ideas and conflicts is to watch the film. This is where _Searching for Bobby Fischer_ really shines. There is no way these characters could have ended up where they are from any other sequence of events than the one that took place; this is a wonderful example of how a plot is woven into a story rather than imposed on it. The flipside of this is that there is extremely little to be found in this film that can be applied universally without reservation, and yet it still manages to be convincing. There is something mysterious about this movie that rises toward the staggering mysteries of life, and repeated viewings are really the only means toward a full understanding of these ideas.

Undoubtedly, this is the best film made in the 1990s based on a true story (if you, like me, discount _Schindler's List_ from such assessments. It hardly seems fair to compare _Schindler's List_ to any other film due to its unique purpose.). If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. It may just change your life.

Movies about chess have, by their very nature, a limited audience; shunned by the multiplex crowds, it's fair to assume that makers of such movies with this topic may feel they have the freedom to relate a more cerebral tale, designed to appeal to the kind of person who is attracted to the game, although, of course, no movie about chess is really about chess – it's about the people who play the game. It's curious, therefore, that writer/director Steve Zaillian, drawing from the book by the father of the real-life Josh Waitzkin, chooses to dress this movie in the same clothes of virtually every other ‘sport' movie; that is, the tale of the driven loner who must overcome his inner doubts to achieve greatness.

Josh Waitzkin, adeptly portrayed by debutante Max Pomeranc, (who, incidentally, is also a ranked player) is an ordinary child with an amazing gift for chess. Inspired by the hustlers who play for money in Washington Square – especially an aggressive hustler called Vinnie (Fishburne), who wins by unnerving his opponents as much as he does by his skill at the game – Josh quickly rises through the ranks, supported by his father (Mantegna), who employs Bruce Pandolfini (Kingsley) to nurture the boys innate talent. The relationship between Pandolfini and the boy, although respectful, grows increasingly adversarial as the serious stuff begins and Josh's nerve begins to waver. Vinnie and Pandolfini represent opposite ends of the chess spectrum, each vying for Josh's loyalty

SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER is an entertaining, well-acted movie; its pace is leisurely but never flags, and it explores the relationships involved in the story intelligently, if a little shallowly at times (Josh's relationship with Vinnie – potentially the most interesting of the story – is especially under-written). Only Zaillian's decision to make Josh's youthful chess-playing nemesis a somewhat sinister figure (something along the lines of the single-browed baby who occasionally pops up in the Simpsons) is badly misjudged.

Zaillian seems conscious of the scarcity of a ready-made audience for this kind of tale, and strives to make chess something that it isn't – exciting – in an attempt to woo a larger audience. Thus, he allocates equal time to the high-speed duels of the ‘junkies and losers' at Washington Square as they capture pieces at breathtaking speed in their two-minute sprints as he does to the lengthier, and more sedate combat of the tournament player. However, even during the tournament games, he chooses to have his participants slam their pieces on the board and smack the timer with exaggerated force in an attempt to inject excitement.

The film is shot through with darkness, hinting at the essentially introspective nature of the game and its participants; many of the scenes take place in darkened rooms populated by shadowy figures hunched over their pieces, and the chess-playing fraternity is portrayed as a rather mean-spirited lot, populated by embittered and eccentric men. The enigmatic figure of Bobby Fischer serves as both an icon and a symbol of the consequence of the pressures genius bestows upon its owner.

The concluding match, it has to be said, is very effectively staged, managing to wring every ounce of emotion from a potentially dry situation, although, regrettably, the story ultimately succumbs to genre convention once the game is over.

This is such a great film! And there is more than one reason why I believe this.

First of all, Ben Kingsley is one of my favorite actors. And this movie(along with "Sneakers", "Death and the Maiden", "Twelfth Night", and "Sexy Beast"), really helps me believe that. And I believe that this is one of his best characters, and best films.

As far as Max Pomeranc's acting is concerned...wonderful. Even today I can't think of a kid who's had a better performance. Truly good acting. And sadly for his short lived career, I'd have to say he was in his prime there.

The creativity in this film is awesome! My favorite scene is when Bruce(Kingsley) is teaching Josh(Pomerac) the dynamics of chess, and when the camera flips back and forth between the chess pieces, each time building up the conversation, and going up the ladder of significant pieces. Powerful scene, with powerful lessons.

I also enjoy that if you don't have much of an interest in chess, that it still keeps you capitvated. I wasn't as interested in chess until I saw this movie. And I'm even more interested in film (I thought that I couldn't be more interested).

And finally...the score. I love James Horner. And this is one of the reasons why. Along with "Sneakers", "Braveheart", and many other Horner scores, I find it makes the movie that much better.

Truly a movie to remember always.

A prepubescent chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

While chess has never been my game, it is something I can probably identify with a bit better than basketball (see "Hoop Dreams"), so this fictionalized story of a real-life prodigy is a story I can get behind. Of course, it is not very cinematic to just show two hours of people playing chess. And that leads the film's flaw: the narrative is good, but not incredibly engaging. Also, if you just guessed the whole story, you probably guessed right.

But the performances make up for any shortcomings. Some really fine actors get to be supporting cast to this little guy. Ben Kingsley, Denzel Washington, Tony Shalhoub, and more. The young actor probably had no idea how cool it was to be working with these folks.

There are few movies I would call perfect in terms of script, photography, performance, and continuity. This is one of them. I have watched this film at least 8 times, and have seen something new in it every time.

This is based on a true story, and it is much more than a movie about parents demanding time, effort, and sacrifice of a child chess prodigy. This is about a seven-year-old boy who knows who he is, and resists adults attempts to make him into someone he is not. Max Pomeranc gives about the best performance I have ever seen by a child actor in the role of Joshua Waitzkin. Fortunately, Josh has a mother (played by Joan Allen) who recognizes Josh's innate goodness and protects him from those who want to change him. This movie is about a father (Joe Mangtegna) learning to respect and appreciate who his son is, instead of trying to make him into something he isn't.

I had seen the movie three times before I understood the title. The adults are searching for "the next Bobbie Fischer" (a television reporter in the film uses those words). Josh Waitzkin asserts to his teacher "I'm not him."

Watch this movie with your children!

This was my first chess movie. There was chess. There was good acting. There was decent drama and character development. And there was hope.

You'd think a movie about competition would mirror sports films, and there was a section of the movie that acted a lot like sports films, but in the end, this film wasn't about having heart to compete where you're out of your league (Rocky, Rudy), but it was about not letting the drive to win overshadow your humanity. (And still somehow winning anyway.) Still, some of the characterizations were too simple for a movie that aimed to be as complex as this film (especially those of the "villain" characters--the antagonist chess player was utterly despicable, which makes you wonder why the writer(s) chose to develop the protagonists so evenly).

It's a decent film and you can't really go wrong watching it (unless your expectations are completely off). It's charming. And not a whole lot more. But that's okay, the film really lives up to its potential and doesn't ask to be more than that. And consequently does its job well. 6/10.

Almost the entire movie showcases the kid not wanting to play chess, and not wanting to win. Everyone in the movie is super emotional and soft and it really bothers me. Also hardly any of it was about chess strategy, and even while he was playing it wasn't very exciting. What kind of a chess movie is that?

This movie is so very 90's.

In SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER, Steven Zaillian's is the most complete and near-flawless film-work of the 1990s. I can't say merely "director's work" because he also wrote the screenplay. And (I have to presume) he chose Conrad Hall as d.p., James Horner for the music, Wayne Wahrman as film-editor, and he worked with a lighting director, sound director, set director and more -- each of whom did a job worthy of the highest praise. And the cast, the supernal cast -- many of whom have had larger and more celebrated roles, but none of whom has ever nailed a role more satisfyingly -- Kingsley, Mantegna, Allen, Fishburne -- even the smaller and cameo bits are effectively faultless -- by Linney, Stephens, Shalhoub, Pendleton. And of course, Pomeranc's work is a kind of miracle. Every part of it evokes from me applause for Zaillian's imagination, sensibility, knowledgeability, intelligence, judgment.

I confess I post this comment because none of the other comments I've seen on SEARCHING seems to me to realize how much Zaillian must have contributed to making this -- and I think it deserves this adjective -- GREAT movie. (I further confess I didn't first watch the movie until some three years after its debut because of its title. I was damned if I wanted to spend two hours in the presence of someone as nasty-seeming as Fischer. But the title of course was Fred Waitzkin's, the author of the source book. Fred, you cost me a few years -- but Steven Zaillian has made up for it many times over.)

As the father of a child talented at chess (state champion), I really enjoyed watching SFBF. Great story, and great acting by Max Pomeranc.

So naturally, I wanted to learn more about Josh Waitzkin, and much to my disappointment I found that the ending was a complete lie. Yes, Josh did play for the US championship. But in reality Josh didn't win. When Josh was 9 years old, he had a draw against a 7-year old named Jeff Sarwer. And an analysis of the game shows that Jeff was clearly winning, but a mistake cost him, ending the game in a draw.

Jeff Sarwer is an interesting story. In real life, Pandolfini said that he had never met anyone else with such a raw talent for the game. But unlike Josh who grew up in a comfortable surroundings, Jeff really did play speed chess with the drug addicts. His father was considered abusive, and Jeff and his equally talented sister Julia were taken away from his father by protective services. But the kids ran away from a foster home, back to their father, and Jeff didn't play chess again for almost 20 years. And when he did, he beat a number of grandmasters despite having no apparent practice.

So far we know that the ending was a lie (thanks to the Internet making these games from 1985 available), and that Jeff played with the drug addicts. So what is really true?

My unfortunate conclusion is that Josh's dad saw that while his child was talented, he was nowhere close to Jeff Sarwer (by the way, Josh never made GrandMaster). But with Sarwer out of the way, why not make his son look good, and make Jeff look bad. What a travesty!

It's one of the toughest jobs a father faces--how hard should you push to "make a man" out of your young son.

"Searching for Bobby Fischer" offers a gentle and unexpected answer: You should listen for your son to tell you how "manly" he wants to be. Young Max Pomeranc is letter-perfect as the chess prodigy who refuses to become ruthless despite the prodding of his father and his surrogate-father. Joe Mantegna and Ben Kingsley give moving performances as men who can be convincingly converted to the truer, sweeter morality of a young child who doesn't need to be "tough" in order to be good. Watch for an understated, underrated performance by Joan Allen as the mom. A beautifully photographed, beautifully paced drama that should reduce anyone with more empathy than a statue to heartfelt tears.

At the age of 7 Josh Waitzkin starts to show a talent for chess. His parents hire him a chess teacher and he starts to win tournaments. People start to talk of him as the new Bobby Fischer, but is that what you should aim for? Is winning everything?

Okay, but for the most part it looked worse than that. For the majority of its duration the film has a made-for-TV feel, a minor drama that is blown up to be something more than it is. It just idles along in predictable fashion.

However, about 60% of the way through a few decent themes start to emerge and these make the film watchable. Ending is good, with a reasonable degree of profundity.

Not brilliant, not a must-see, but okay.

It's about time they made a movie about chess! Look at all the sports dramas that deal with football, baseball and combat. But those kinds of sports movies are very popular for the typical blue-collar to watch just for fun. Who enjoys watching chess? I love to play chess, but watching it on TV? No thank-you! Searching For Bobby Fischer was a risk and it succeeded in more ways than one.

Searching For Bobby Fischer is based on the book by sports journalist, Fred Waitzkin about his son Josh. Josh was just a normal 7-year-old who enjoyed playing with toys and dreamed of being a baseball player. After briefly watching several chess games in a New York park, he decides to play himself. His parents (Mantegna, Allen) see him as a prodigy. They hire a strict teacher (Kingsley) to help Josh hone his craft and tries to guide him to be the next Bobby Fischer.

That is what the movie should have been called: "The Next Bobby Fischer." "Searching For Bobby Fischer" sounds like the real chess master is involved as a character. This is false advertising if you ask me.

Josh is enjoying chess, but the pressure from his dad and teacher become too much for him to bear. Fred mentions that Josh is better at chess than he has ever been at anything. After Josh sees another prodigy in the park who might be better than him, Josh devotes all his time to chess in hopes of making his father proud.

In order for a movie with a boring concept to succeed, everything that goes into the film has to be held at high calibre. SFBF does just that. Likewise, the game sequences are actually pretty cool to watch. Searching For Bobby Fischer probably inspired many children to try the game of chess. But I guarantee more than half couldn't fully understand the rules of the game.

Ultimately what makes Searching For Bobby Fischer work so well the way it does is the way it shows parents impacting their children. After seeing how talented his young son is, Fred Waitzkin places tremendous pressure on him to be the best chess player in the world. Josh is an innocent kid who just wants to have fun, but also make his father proud of him. That's all any kid wants. Seeing his rival adds more pressure, as Josh thinks losing to another prodigy would lose his father's love. We get a look at who Josh's rival is, and he is going through pretty much a similar path as Josh. Only Josh tries his best keep it all together and we see the characters close to Josh blossom as the movie progresses.

4/4

Underrated little gem based on a true story and adapted from the book by Waitzkin's father . A prepubescent boy called Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc) who lives with his beloves parents (Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen) starts evincing signs of being a genius at chess . Then is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer and he becomes a chess prodigy . As Josh is taken under the wing of cold-blooded chess instructor Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley), who indoctrinates the boy in the "Bobby Fischer" strategy. Every journey begins with a single move !.

This is a brilliant and touching story , although sometimes results to be slow-moving and tiring , but is developed with real intelligence and extreme sensibility . In the picture is treated ethic and moral themes paced with great sense of fairness and ductility , delivering an agreeable message about how to blend successfully the hard competition and to be a good sportsman . Title comes from Pandolfini's belief that Josh may equal the abilities of chess whix Bobby Fisher .The starring boy , Max Pomeranc , is pretty good as Josh Waitzkin who shows an amazing gift for chess , stuning his parents and friends . Pomeranc is great and his knowledge of chess - he's a ranked player- brings authenticity to his character . Joe Mantegna is nice as the sensible father who must try to strike the delicate balance of developing his abilities while also allowing him a normal childhood . Magnificent support cast features Joan Allen as the mother , Kingsley as demanding chess teacher Pandolfini , Laurence Fishburne as an adept speed-chess hustler , Robert Stephens, William H Macy , Dan Hedaya , Laura Linney, David Paymer , Anthony Heald , Tony Shalhoub , Hal Scardino, Austin Pendleton , among others.

Enjoyable and sensitive musical score by James Horner . Besides , exceptional and awesome cinematography by classic cameraman Conrad L. Hall . The motion picture was competently directed by prestigious writer Steve Zaillian. A veteran go-to script doctor in the industry, Steven Zaillian has contributed to screenplays uncredited on a number of projects over the years. They include Patriot Games (1992), Red Tide (1995), Twister (1996), Primal Fear (1996), Amistad (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), Road to Perdition (2002) , Body of Lies (2008) , Exodus , The Irishman . He was also called upon in post-production to rewrite some scenes for re-shoots for Salt (2010). Wrote four screenplays for feature films nominated for the 'Best Picture' Academy Award: Awakenings (1990), Schindler's list (1993), Gangs of New York (2002) and Moneyball (2011). Of those, Schindler's list (1993) won 'Best Picture' and earned Zaillian an Academy Award for 'Best Adapted Screenplay'. Searching for Bobby Fisher Rating : 7/10. Essential and indispensable watching . Better than average and well worth seeing.

Coaches, teachers, and parents of kids often make one of two errors in competitive activities:

1. They try to convince their kids that winning is the only thing that matters. 2. They instill in their kids a great fear of losing.

Josh Waitzkin is a young 7-year-old boy who enjoys playing the game of chess. He's also a very nice, sweet kid who never feels comfortable or even enjoys "beating" an opponent. He simply loves the game. When he first plays his father in a game of chess, he doesn't try his hardest. He's afraid of beating and hurting his father's feelings. This part of the film lays the foundation for the entire rest of the film. His mother has to tell him, "it's okay if you beat him. You won't hurt his feelings." Only then does Josh play at his best and wins.

Fred Waitzkin (Joe Mantegna) represents the first fear that I listed. He's an extremely supportive father who is very proud of his son. "He's better at this than anything that I will ever do in my whole life," he says of Josh. While his passion and support are strong, he falls into the trap of living vicariously through his son. Winning is the most important thing to him. When Josh loses a match to an "inferior" opponent, Fred is upset and can't understand why Josh lost. He doesn't realize that Josh loves his father and only wants to please him. It isn't until then that Fred realizes his mistake, and he finally encourages Josh to play for fun.

On the other side is Josh's chess teacher, Bruce (Ben Kingsley). He represents the second fear that I listed. He is afraid of Josh losing. Bruce is a man who is so scarred by his own losses that happened long ago, that he more or less "hides out" in an old chess room. At first, Fred Waitzkin has to talk him into taking his son as a student. While Bruce's demeanor is somewhat cold, it's obvious that he truly loves Josh, and can't bear the thought of Josh going through the pain of losing a match. It isn't until the end that he realizes that Josh is really in no danger of this, even if he did lose. Josh isn't greatly affected by either winning or losing. He only likes to play. But, Bruce tries to tell Josh that he needs to hold his opponents in contempt. That type of notion simply doesn't exist in Josh.

"Bobby Fischer held the whole world in contempt," says Bruce. Josh responds, "I'm not him." Josh already knows who he is, and he isn't trying to be the next Bobby Fischer, no matter how much everyone else wants him to be. He only wants to be himself.

There are two characters in this movie that already know Josh's heart, and they give him the positive values and support that Josh needs.

First, his mother (Joan Allen). She is so enamored by Josh's good heart, that at one point, she threatens her husband. "He's not weak. He's decent. And if you or Bruce or anyone else tries to beat that out of him, I swear to God I'll take him away."

Second, is his friend Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne), a man that Josh meets in Washington Square where Vinnie spends his time playing speed chess with other people who are mostly transients. Josh quickly makes friends with him, even though Bruce doesn't like it. But, Vinnie holds the wisdom of competition that Bruce fails to give to Josh. "You're playing not to lose, Josh. You have to risk losing. You have to play on the edge of defeat. That's where you want to be!"

I can't stress the performance of young Max Pomeranc (Josh Waitzkin) enough. He seems to know exactly who Josh is, and he plays him with a gentle sweetness that can't be ignored or overlooked. You see it in his eyes and facial expressions. He looks at his opponents not as enemies, but simply another kid sitting across from him who could easily be his friend. Josh has a well-balanced life. Chess isn't everything to him. He enjoys doing other things. Perhaps this is a testament to why his character is so strong. His opponent at the end, Jonathan Poe, thinks of only chess, and we quickly find that he is a very unhappy and miserable kid. He's the kind of player that Bruce tries to make Josh, and we are thankful that Josh never goes down that road.

Competition is so strong in our culture. Most parents, teachers, and coaches fall into these two fears without realizing it. We push and push, we forget that they are children, and that we need to stress the importance of having fun, being a good sportsman, and being gracious in victory and defeat. It's truly amazing to find that Josh Waitzkin already realized this at the tender age of 7. Hopefully, we can begin to pass these values on to our own kids.

Anyways I liked it pretty decent but not groundbreaking oer anything

The recent Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit" drew my attention to chess, so I decided to watch "Searching for Bobby Fischer". Despite the title, Steven Zaillian's movie is not about the famous chess player. The focus is a boy in New York who develops an interest in chess. And boy does he become a master of it!

Most of the credit goes to the cast, who put their all into the roles. But Zaillian's direction and screenwriting also deserve their due, as does Conrad Hall's Academy Award-nominated cinematography. Personally I wish there were more movies about these true stories (they're more interesting than the latest superhero movie). Even if you don't know anything about chess, it's still a fun movie. I recommend it.

The cast includes Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Dan Hedaya, Laura Linney and Tony Shalhoub. Put another way, it stars Fat Tony, Pat Nixon, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Morpheus, Richard Nixon, Abigail Adams and Adrian Monk.

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.

Total hack of a movie. They basically just interposed a superficial mini-bio of Fischer with some half baked waffle. Fischer himself called it a monumental swindle, which is actually pretty spot on. Still can't believe Roger Ebert gave this 4 stars, he's usually pretty accurate, at most off by a star; no way is this worth more than 1 star (in his 4 star system that is).