The Legend of Bagger Vance

I'm pleased that I received my DVD purchase within just a few days. The shipment was to take two days; however, because of the snowstorm over the Valentine's Day weekend, the DVD arrived 3 days later than promised. But I am still a satisfied customer, because I was able to track the delivery and could see that everything possible was being done to get the package to me.
PS: Amazon.com was the only place I could find this particular DVD and the price was right!
Carol Franco/Nazareth, PA

My husband and I are not golfers; nor do we watch the sport. We happne upon this movie when channel hopping and it immediately peaked our interest. We both absolutely loved this movie, so much so, that I had to add it to our collection to watch again at my leisure. It is filled with symoblism and parallelisms and can bring different messages to diffeent individuals. My hubby loves the old westerns and Clint Eastwood movies but he even recommended this movie to some of our friends. He also enjoys certain historically based movies. I think, because he had heard of the two golf pros, he liked the story line in the movie that was able to keep his interest. I enjoy movies with some historical insertion, (i.e. Titanic and crime novel types). I was intrigued by the spiritualism. The little boy n the film stole the show, not to mention the artisty of the lead actors. To top it off, I understand that this was the great Jack Lemon's last film. For the entertainment value and the price of the DVD, it was well worth the cost. After watching the movie, I was moved to do more research on its professional critiques and was surprised (but in a sense could understand) some being offended by Will Smith's role; however, I was looking beyond the person, an into his portrayal of that spirit. I would rate this 5 stars if I could.

Excellent movie. Very moving and tells a great story, which happens to be ture. My husband and son play golf, and they really like this movie. They watch it constantly. I, not being a golfer loved this movie too. I would suggest this movie to all.

I got the product in about three weeks. It was just as described. If I could have gotten it quicker, I would have rated "Excellent". I'm a little impatient :)-

Of course, (no pun intended) I am not into golf. But this movie is not really about golf. It is about how playing golf is like the way we "play out" life. Loved it. Some great sound bites to take along with you as you work at this consciousness we call "life".

This is about picking up the "lost signal" (returning to last known good configuration in certain geekspeak). Fun and professionally done. Recommend
highly for those able to "hear".

This was a great story & Matt Damon, Will Smith, & especially the little boy gave outstanding performances. However, I was disappointed by the unnecessary use of foul language.

I don't play golf, wish I did, but I loved the film. It's more a spiritual film than a film about golf, as it could have been about baseball or some other sport, but golf fit the bill. As much as I love Matt Damon, I adored Will Smith as his caddy/spiritual teacher. Great film, a joyful film. Whether you play golf or not, you shouldn't miss it. Jack Lemmon did the narration and did the bit part at the end.

I read this somewhere, and it's interesting. Leave it to Robert Redford to use it:

"Bagger Vance" and "R. Junuh" are representations of Bhagavan (Krishna) and Arjuna, from the Hindu text "The Bhagavad Gita". The lessons learned by Rannulph are loosely based on those Krishna teaches to Arjuna while masquerading as his lowly chariot driver."

Wiston Churchill said "Golf is a more expensive way of playing marbles". I agree.

Yet I loved the movie.

This is not a movie about golf. Golf is merely a backdrop and used as an inflection point to talk about leading your life. Bagger Vance (Will Smith) counsels a confused, lost Randolph Junnah (Matt Damon) on discovering himself, pulling himself back, and leading a full life.

This movie is beautifully adapted from a book of the same name. And the book in turn is an interpretation of the Bhagvad Gita, which is an 18-part poem within the Hindu epic - Mahabharata. In the Gita, the confused warrior Arjuna (R. Junnah!!) is advised by his charioteer Krishna on the meaning of life.

What shines through the movie are a couple of things -
-- The director's love for the game. You can feel the sheer delight in golf seeping thru and infecting you as you watch the movie
-- The performance of every single actor/actress in this movie are a cut above anything else they have done. Will Smith has perhaps given his best performance ever.

This is a movie you can watch over and over again.

wow. don't really know if this movie is too popular, but it is such a good movie. if you are a fan of golf, you have got to see it.

This might not have broken box office records, but the Legend of Bagger Vance was a beautifully filmed movie. Capt Rannulph Junnuh learns to get his swing back and shakes his survivor's guilt with the help of a young fan, a lost love and a mysterious caddy.

Watch for the scenes at twilight by the water. The sunsets are gorgeous. I think this is cinematographer Michael Ballhaus's greatest work. Great story telling. Great acting. Excellent editing and score. Visually appealing.

This is a great story regardless of whether you like golf or not. If you you do play golf, there are some great insights to the mental side of the game. I am a golf addict and have watched this movie at least a dozen times. Each time is like a mini mental golf lesson.

The Legend of Bagger VanceThis is a film with many levels, some of them pertinent for our current economic situation, and how it affects us and our families. Another current issue addressed is that of the returned soldier, how his life has been changed and whether he can meet his demons and let them determine his future life or whether he can find a new path through "the rough" and get himself free. Then there is the love story, and whether the soldier and Adele, the "sweet young thing," will return to each other now that the war is over. Before that can happen, however, Adele loses her father, and is no longer "daddy's little girl;" but someone who must save her father's dream, as well as his financial legacy, while standing on her own two feet--not an easy "feat" in the years between the end of World War I and the depression.

Then there are the characters, all representing different aspects of life, as well as the game of golf. There is Bagger Vance, played by Will Smith, a caddy, an African-American, sort of dusty-looking but who somehow fits in, in spite of the overwhelmingly white world in which he finds himself, and also given the time and place during which the story occurs. Perhaps it is his unfailing devotion to honesty that makes others sit up and take notice; perhaps it is his ability to see the good in life when things seem at their darkest. Nonetheless, Vance is looking for work in his chosen field--golf--in the very depth of the depression, who comes upon Matt Damon, the returned soldier and former amateur golf champion, but a man who unfortunately cannot find his swing and has no clue as to where it can be found.

Smith and young Harley--a young actor whose name I cannot remember, but who plays his role brilliantly, not only helps Smith find the golfer's swing, but who in doing so, leaves his boyhood behind, learns the meaning of responsibility and discovers the respect and love for his own father that he had somehow lost along the way. Even Jack Lemmon shows up in this film, playing the aging Harley, who helps us discover who Bagger Vance may actually be.

There are other roles in this film, some played by veteran character actors who allow us to enter life at this time in our history, and who make it real, whether we are golf players, "golf widows" or people like me, who know very little about the game of golf, but who have seen this movie again and again and never tire of it. Give yourselves a treat, and purchase this movie; you'll not regret it.

Excellent movie! Excellent service in getting in the movie and in excellent shape. Would highly recommend the movie for anyone - even non-golfers!

I know that this film has been criticized harshly by a majority of so-called professional reviewers, but I would strongly recommend ignoring their snooty arrogance. This is a wonderful movie that, like fine art, can and should be enjoyed over and over again. What can I say--I love this movie. I'd watch it only for the cinematography and musical score, they are so great. But there are very nice nuanced performances here, especially Will Smith (foget the so-called politically correct comments about ignoring of race in this film)--he steals the film, and as its protagonist demonstrates that the moral high ground has no color. Watch the movie and then go out there and find your authentic swing.
RockDoc

Everybody has written long drawn out descriptions of this movie and disected in everyway possible, so I need not do so. This is a very good movie, entertain-wise, good acting, good story line, enjoyable to watch. Rent it, borrow it, buy it, whatever. Watch it and enjoy it. No it's not a classic, but who knows maybe one day it will be, that or a cult film. Who would have guess about some that are.

The Legend of Bagger Vance is an eye opener for the need to focus on the field, on the flag and the hole. We are all surrounded by a social field for all our day to day activities. Our attention should be used properly, nor being distracted by all outer sensory objects, people and events. We need stillness and focus, awaress of the field of this specific activity, with this specific goal at this specific moment, a moment of opportunity, an opportunity to be completely present in the activity, in the moment itself and in the whole field around it, both visible and invisible.

If you need focus in your day to day activities and a quiet awareness of the field around these activities enjoy the inspiring "The Legend of Bagger Vance".

Jacques Duivenvoorden, The Netherlands

Brilliant acting, superb cinematography and a captivating story adding the remarkable re-creation of the period (right after World War I) makes for an awesome adventure ...starring, Matt Damon, Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jack Lemmon.

The Legend Of Bagger Vance it seems is a movie about golf! Yes, but not really.

When playing golf the supposed thrill and or allurement is simply [man vs. nature]; the cumulative inference is relaxing, scenic and illuminating however the sport itself is used as a metaphor for this movies expedition.

The intent of Robert Redford (the director) is to demonstrate our oneness with all things; each instant, disposition and or character plays an intricate part in one man's journey yet this one man is also a momentous element for each and every person found in the movie!!

Ultimately the movie itself asks... "Can we ever find [our] Perfect Swing?"

- Seeing is believing!!! Great Movie!!!

I never actually got the product. I got an email from the business saying they had shipped the wrong item and they credited my Discover card. I never received anything.

Absolutely awful movie. Movie had a terrible cast other than Will Smith, Matt Damon, and the two other golfers. Charlize Theron did not belong in this movie. 99% of the story from the book is absent in this film, taking on new and completely unrelated turns and incorporating menial book characters and blowing them up to be main characters for the movie (i.e. the role of charlize theron). ALL the drama from the book is lost, all the heart pounding dialogue and earth shattering descriptions and visualizations are lost, and all is left is a horribly directed and confused film with no message what so ever. The book is amazing, too bad the film stinks. Read the book.

I bought this movie for my Dad for fathers day. This is a good movie, but a really great movie for any golfer.

A delightful film about finding one's swing. A retired golfer is pushed back into the game even though he is convinced that he has lost his swing for good. A whimsical caddy comes along to show him how to find it, which is really a metaphor for finding oneself.

This movie is replete with spiritual metaphors that are sure to make you more aware of how one's path, or purpose, can only be found through the effortless ease of oneness with all.

Sit back, relax and allow yourself to sink deeply into this deeply creative and profound film.

This is a movie ostensibly about golf, but in actuality it is about life. A once superb golfer sinks to a life of drink and gambling. Challenged to participate as local color, he begins to practice his swing with a view of playing in a tournament with legendary Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. From nowhere Bagger Vance appears, guides him to the mentality and courage to really take part. He rises to the occasion and when able to carry on alone, Bagger Vance disappears,

Beyond the obvious lesson about life and inner strength, the golf tournament itself is lovely, with the actor playing Bobby Jones particularly displaying a beautiful swing. Matt Damon does well as always.

If you like golf, romance, a wonderful musical score, a good story, a great cast, and a little fantasy, you'll love The Legend of Bagger Vance. The scenery is breathtaking. The story is uplifting and fun. I enthusiastically recommend Bagger Vance.

This is one of my favorite stories of all time. The story is well told, carries a powerful message and appeals to all age groups in all walks of life.

This is undeniably the greatest golf movie ever. The story is fantastic, involving the great depression, Bobby Jones and a war hero(played exceptionally by Matt Damon). However, the best part of this spectacular film is the acting. I love Will Smith as Bagger Vance, and with Matt Damon as the main protagonist and Charlize Theron as Ms. Idelle Envagordon, you simply cannot lose. If you love golf and movies, see this one.

Before I saw this DVD I never had a full understanding of the role within the Trinity played by the Holy Spirit; I knew He was a comforter to us in times of need but did not see His importance. For the rest of my life I will now see Him as a gentle helper much like Bagger Vance in this story. Will Smith plays the role of his career in this movie with the splendid assistance of Matt Damon and Jack Lemmon, playing a man about my age, adds a wonderful ending to the story. This is a typical movie that Robert Redford continually provides for our enjoyment in that, after seeing it, you will be a little enriched by the experience.

Recently my family and I were together and discussing our top 10 favorite movies of all time. When I told them The Legend of Bagger Vance was one of mine, they couldn't believe it and exclaimed "That's a golf movie isn't it? You don't even play golf! I told them its about golf like Gone with the Wind is about the Civil War. It's a backdrop, but not the heart of the movie. Aside from having a beautiful soundtrack, the feel good aspects of this movie are outstanding. I have watched this at least 10 times and I get misty eyed every time at the end; not from sadness but from sheer joy and the goodness and optimism this movie shows. Rating this movie at all is difficult, but if I must, I give 5 of the biggest stars I can find. The interview with Redford is also excellent.

I usually like fantasy movies and I really enjoy sports films. Combine the two well - like "Field Of Dreams" and like this movie - and I am sure to rate this extremely high. I've seen it three times and enjoyed it immensely each time.

It reminded me a bit, too, of "The Natural," but instead of baseball, this one features golf and real-life legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen playing the local guy, "Rannulph Junuh" (Matt Damon). Like "The Natural," this is beautifully photographed, has a wonderful feel-good ending, a variety of characters, a beautiful lead woman and good acting.

The no-name child actor in here, J. Michael Moncrief, who plays "Hardy Greaves," narrates the film as an older man looking back on this story. The kid is a fine actor, too, and I really enjoyed his Georgia accent. Charlize Theron is the beauty, playing "Adele Invergordon," a woman who organizes this famous golf match between the greatest amateur player of the world, the best professional and "Junuh," who is the focus of this story. Theron's known for her dramatic roles but she exhibits a nice comedy touch in here.

Damon does his normal fine job of acting and Will Smith, as the angelic caddie "Bagger Vance," is uncharacteristically low-key, which I found nice to see. Bruce McGill did a good as Hagen and Joel Gretsch, likewise, for Jones. McGill is obviously the best real-life golfer here among these actors. Damon had to learn the game from scratch, and did a fine job with his swing.

I bought this for my husband since it is one of his favorites. He watches it a lot and know nearly all the lines.

Not a movie that you have to have to complete your Matt Damon or Will Smith collections but a decent film. It's predictable and trite at times but your wife will enjoy watching it with you.

This film received mixed reviews and may not be for everyone. It's a good movie with interesting characters that moves at a leisurely pace...... kind of like golf. If you like golf, you'll probably like the movie. If you don't like golf you still might like it. I don't play and I liked it!

It's hard to believe that not even the Amazon reviewers recognized this movie as an update of the Hindu legend of Arjuna and Krishna. Will Smith essentially plays Krishna to Matt Damon's Arjuna (Randolph Junah -- R-Junah, or Arjuna!). Arjuna was a confused, down and out former warrior who was going into battle during hard times. Krishna's wisdom guided him to his true self and victory. Does the film make sense now?

If you enjoy Will Smith's performances, you're in for a real treat here. He is at his best, which is pretty darned good! The entire cast is excellent and the story is a little gem - even for non-golfers.

Enjoyed this movie. Some good performances with Will Smith stealing the show throughout.

Great film for the whole family. Will Smith does a superb performance as Bagger Vance as does Matt Damon with his part in the film. You won't be disappointed.

I always have love will smith in hisw movies and he is a great actor. matt damon was just as great in this film and the story line was perfict if not almost perfict. i could watch this movie over and over again. i just sugest this movie to everyone!!

Steven Pressfield is one of America's greatest authors and perhaps when he is done - he will be one of the greatest authors of all time. This film, upon which Mr. Pressfield's novel "The Legend of Bagger Vance" was based tackles the questions we are all destined with which to struggle (whether you like golf, pool, basketball or embroidery): how will you choose when you know what the right thing to do is - but its consequences may make you despised, humiliated, and rejected by the world?; how will you navigate a "cilivized culture" that still believes that killing is the solution to contrary positions? A deeply spiritual film but please - if you have the time, buy Steven Pressfield's book. It will literally blow you away. Also, his new book due to be released in July 2006 is on the trail for another pioneering blaze of a tale.

well rounded movie in all aspects,I thourghly enjoyed the movie.

Good movie overall, though not an emotional experience. One of the other reviews stated that it was an emotional experience, I don't know about that, but it is a pleasant feel good movie.

This movie will set you free even at times when you hit rock bottom. The mystical aspects add on a bonus puzzle for the viewers' mind while enjoying the story like who Vance actually could be. I have seen the movie three times already on DVD and each time it pulls me in through out the whole show.

One problem is Damon - again and again picking "I am Zorro himself" genius roles. I ended up seeing Damon not the character.

When I saw it at the theater, The Legend of Baggar Vance touched me so deeply that I went back 2 more times to see it (something I've never done before.)

Directed by Robert Redford and starring Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron, this movie is about golf as a metaphor for life. I very much identified with Rannulph Junuh, the disillusioned WW1 veteran who was searching for his 'authentic swing'--as well as himself.

Bagger the mysterious caddy (played by Smith) is a wise and good-natured guru that challenges Junuh to reach deep within him and remember who he was--and who he can become.

The mystical themes that I enjoyed in this movie was how the "mundane" can be a powerful metaphor for spiritual truths, what it means to be authentic, and how life has a rhythm and flow to it that can be eased into when one becomes more conscious.

Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon) is a golf phenomenon of the early 20th century. But WW I pulls him away and destroys his will to play the "gentlemen's game." In WW I he also loses everyone in his platoon and is the only survivor. Feeling as if he should have lost "something", his "authentic swing" vanishes ...and so does he. He fails to return to his Savannah, Georgia home and his fiancé, Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron).

Adele is struggling to keep her father's dream of maintaining the ultimate golf course alive. So she finesses two top golf players in to playing a winner take all ($10,000) game. But many in Savannah want a local player to compete in the game as well. And a young boy named Hardy Greaves (J. Michael Moncrief) pipes up that "Captain Junuh" should do it. Since Junuh had recently snuck back into town, the townsfolk approach him and convince him to play. But what to do about his lost authentic swing?

Enter the mysterious and mystical Bagger Vance (Will Smith). He shows Junuh the way back to a magical state of the authentic swing and acts as his caddy during the competition. He also teaches young Hardy how to caddy/play the game of golf, and helps Junuh and Adele find love again.

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Robert Redford directs and does so admirably. The beautiful cinematography and the way the story unfolds are nicely pulled off. And like "A River Runs Through It", this film has a leisurely cadence that deals with a subject matter that could put many people to sleep. But it doesn't. The character development and interestingly vague aspects of Bagger Vance's existence add much to the entertaining story.

But the film doesn't break any new cinematic ground. The story, although nicely done, is very predictable and sometimes trite. Can Junuh find a love for golf that he lost so long ago? I'm sure you can answer that question even if you've never seen the movie.

Even so, though, this is an enjoyable film with lots of beautiful sunsets, southern exposures, and well-played characters.

Robert Redford has a knack for for bringing out the child in himself and his viewers. He presents his oh-so attractive characters with relish and paints his scenes in the most beautiful light. The symbolism is rampant. Damon's character, in a drunken, post-war tramautic stupor says to the local townspeople who have come to enlist him to play in the big tournament, " I lost my swing ". The story is sugary sweet, with the drama kept to a minimum; the happy ending is never far away. The pain in this movie is almost enjoyable to watch. We know we have left the real world far behind.

So why is it that this film works? The characters are entertaining and likable. The scenes are beautiful. The story is new and is expertly told. There are jewels of wisdom that inspire; the way in which these truths are revealed touches the essential emotions. As in all fables, the jewels of truth stand out and intersect our world. I guess, like Redford, I am an optimist and have a weakness for beauty, simplicity and for the timeless truths. The fact that I love golf doesn't hurt. One other comment: Damon has a terrible golf swing!

Robert Redford makes movies the way I play golf: badly. After watching "The Legend of Bagger Vance," I was fully convinced that Robert Redford knows nothing about making movies. Not once during the entire film does any aspect gel with another, whether it be concerning characters, story, tone, mood, development, or camera shots. "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is nothing but a dainty train wreck, and here's why:

-Will Smith's character is so wise and flawless when it comes to deciphering golf and life that you really just can't put any kind of stock in him at all. He suddenly appears into the film, spills a bunch of existential gibberish to Matt Damon in a poor southern accent, and walks out of the story. The character of Bagger Vance is someone you are supposed to learn from and have a deep respect for. The presentation of his character made me want to hit him with a nine iron.

-Too many lines recited by extras read like they are newspaper headlines, something you never come across in everyday dialogue. There's far too many people running along the side of the road sputtering out a bunch of superlatives about how their favorite southern hometown golfer has finally overcome his demons in the great war and how his golf skills have resurfaced to only surpass the pros he is playing against. Does that sound like rubbish to you? That's because it is.

-The camera work is dramatically pointless, or pointlessly dramatic, depending on your mood. There is plenty of slow motion and disorienting zoom thrown in for no good reason. The flashbacks and hectic fast talking that spring up during the developing segments only remind you that this is a crappy period piece, not a profound allegory. The soundtrack, sounding like it was lifted straight from the Lifetime channel, does you no favors as well.

-Charlize Theron talks too rapidly and does not have a convincing southern accent to pull it off anyway.

-Matt Damon may be the best member of the cast here, but he has nothing to work with. He supposedly "lost his swing" while serving in WWI, having witnessed all kinds of inhumanities during battle. He refuses to play golf for a long time, even for a local tournament against the pros for big prize money. But for inexplicable reasons, he gets his swing back and decides he wants to play. The lack of reasoning for his turnaround is just one of those dumb things you have to ignore in order to enjoy the movie.

-J. Michael Moncrief plays the narrator as a child, and he is bad. Jake Lloyd bad. He's so obnoxious; running around, being a pest, crying because Junah (Damon) might loose a game of golf, and sporting by far the worst southern accent out of the whole cast. Just thinking about him irritates me. Hand me my nine iron again, will ya?

When you put all of this together, there is nary a moment in the movie that doesn't make you want to roll your eyes or sigh in impatience. Every frame just seems to be dedicated to the lowest common denominator, insulting your intelligence no matter who you are. Even my wife, who has a high tolerance for bad movies, couldn't make it through the whole thing without verbal displays of frustration.

Having little interest in the game of golf, I found myself pleasantly surprised at this wonderfully made film which has golf as its catalyst. Robert Redford has a strong sense of time and character in this study of a war-torn vet who finds his redemption at the hands of a mystical stranger and caddy. Matt Damon does a fine job as Junuh, a young man who lost all of his men in a WWI battle and has retreated within himself, giving up his love for the game of golf. Charlize Theron shines as a strong willed Southern belle who arranges a golf tournament featuring Walter Hagen (Bruce Mc Gill) and Bobby Jones (Joel Hertsche) to emerge from the great depression. A delightful little boy (J. Michael Moncrief) convinces Damon to join in the tourney as a representative of the fine city of Savannah. A marvelously restrained Will Smith shows up as Bagger Vance, a caddy who seems to have all the right answers for Damon. The movie is framed by a narrative of a mature Moncrief, wonderfully evoked by Jack Lemmon in his last movie appearance. The Georgia scenery is breathtaking and Rachel Portman contributes a wonderful score that carefully compliments the film's period. While not a dramatically driven movie, BAGGER VANCE is pleasant and wholeheartedly enjoyable.

As a not so great fan of sports or the movies about them, this film is one of those that takes control, and sticks in your mind for a very long time.
Matt Damon plays Randulph Junah, a man who has seen the perils of war, and feels that he has lost his swing, when he tries to get in the game of golf again...a game that he loved. Enter Bagger Vance, played by Will Smith (one of the best performances this man has done) a man who believes in Junha, and knows in his heart that he can bring his swing back where it belongs.
Charlize Theron's character, Adele Invergordon inherits the golf course that her father left after his untimely death (suicide) and has come up with a way to save the course from uncertain demise, attract ppl to the course by offering a tournement for high ranking golf players to perticipate in. It is during this, that Junuh finds his swing, and his love for the game, and soars to the utmost heights of the game!! But will he win the overall tourney??? A true classic...rent it today!

I had been wanting to see this movie for quite some time and then when I was gone to the beach we went to Wal Mart to get some stuff. I saw the movie in the 5 dollar movie bin. It turned out to be one of my favorite sports movies ever. I recommend this to anyone, even if you don't care for golf, it is still a great movie.