'Finding Forrester' (2001): Discovering Wallace

Sixteen-year-old Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) has grown up in the Bronx, New York. While playing basketball with his buddies, he is dared to sneak into the apartment of a recluse, William Forrester (Sean Connery), who is rumored to have committed murder. After accidentally leaving his backpack in the man's house, Jamal finds his life entangled with that of this mysterious man who turns out to be a writer. One of the major themes in the movie Finding Forrester is the importance of friendship. Jamal and William become great friends, and they inspire each other through their writings. Aside from strong language, and some crude humor, Finding Forrester has a realistic setting, good music, and captivating conflict.

The opening of the movie portrays the everyday life in the Bronx as children play, men get their hair cut, and people converse in various shops. Jamal is accustomed to the ghetto setting, and his school, where he maintains a C average. "Just enough to get by, but not enough to stick out," says the teacher in his school. What does make Jamal stand out are his test scores, which are found to be significantly higher than average. He is offered a full scholarship to attend a prestigious prep school. Though he seems to have mixed feelings about changing schools, he decides to go anyway, and he must make the transition from a ghetto school to a rich-kid prep school. Instead of playing basketball on public courts with his old friends, he now plays on a real basketball team. One particular teammate seems hostile at the threat of Jamal taking his place. The first part of the movie shows how Jamal undergoes a major change in setting.

The use of soundtrack in cinema provides what words cannot. Though there is not a wealth of it, the music in Finding Forrester helps add emotion, and aids in setting the overall mood. The opening of the very first scene begins with a rapper, which also seems appropriate for the setting. Throughout the movie there is light instrumental music, such as trumpet, saxophone, and guitar. Whenever Jamal plays basketball the sound of the trumpet is heard, signifying something that is familiar. The jazzy sound of a saxophone plays as Jamal is escaping the man's apartment. The cello and light guitar play while William tries to inspire Jamal to feel the rhythm of the typewriter under his fingertips as he types. Once, while Jamal is at Williams's apartment, he is looking through some of the old man's photos; it is at this stirring moment that a soft electric guitar strums, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Jamal has finally discovered another key to understanding the life of his mentor. Then, as the ending credits are shown, in the final scene, the same song is sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. The music in Finding Forrester is subtle, yet very enriching, and adds to the quality of the film.

One of the greatest aspects of Finding Forrester is its layers of unexpected conflict. The first kind of conflict that arises is when Jamal changes schools, slowly becoming separated from his old friends. Playing basketball is how he gained acceptance from his friends, but he knows that he risks losing that acceptance if he changes schools. Jamal faces many challenges at his new school, such as having to gain the respect of his basketball teammates. He must also prove himself to his English professor, Robert Crawford (F. Murray Abraham) when his writing is put into question. William had explicitly said, "Whatever you write in here (meaning his apartment) stays in here." Jamal went against his friend's wishes, and used a paper that he had written in William's apartment for one of his school assignments. He is then accused of plagiarizing by Professor Crawford. When William finds out, this occurrence creates conflict between himself and Jamal. It is understandable and realistic for there to be heavy cursing between people in the Bronx, but it was disappointing to see that it persisted between William and Jamal. Even when they were upset with each other, the strong language that they spewed at each other seemed unnecessary, especially since they were two highly intellectual individuals. It seems that they would posses a more sophisticated vocabulary. Their pointed rants could have been more effective by verbal sparring, without the use of gutter language. Ironically, after Jamal uses the slang word "ain't," he was reprimanded by William who says, "When you're in here, don't talk like you do out there." The conflict is very intense throughout the entire film, with several surprises in the end.

Finding Forrester is highly recommended to those who enjoy seeing someone overcome negative stereotypical expectations. Jamal motivates each of us to dream beyond the constraints of our own setting, and to be ready to fight conflict when it arises. This movie would probably be best enjoyed by young adults and up. In addition to the language mentioned previously, there is also some coarse joking and sexual innuendo. Despite these few faults, Finding Forrester was a very inspirational movie, and deserves a score of a four out of five.