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Finding Forrester, 2000, 133 minutes, Rated PG-13
By Carla Robinson
Finding Forrester is a literary Good Will Hunting focusing on the ghetto set. The
film shares endless commonalties with its Oscar-winning predecessor, including director
Gus Van Sant. Its star, Sir Sean Connery, does a charming turn as William Forrester, a
scruffy old writer trapped inside his Bronx apartment, boxing the demons of his past. Yet,
the film’s big draw is neither of these guys, but a third - Rob Brown. Brown stars as
Jamal Wallace, a character Brown infuses with so much charisma that he anchors the entire
film. The buzz is that Brown, a 16 year-old with no previous acting experience, auditioned
for Finding Forrester on a whim, hoping for a bit part to make a few dollars.
In the film, Jamal, an underprivileged wunderkind, is catapulted to an elite Manhattan
prep school due to his high scores on standardized tests (and his “last mama on the
couch,” to borrow from playwright George C. Wolfe). Meanwhile, Forrester, who has one
famous novel to his credit, has barely seen the great outdoors since its publication. He
connects to the world by looking out over the basketball court that faces his window. This
gives the homeboys down below the creeps. Lore has it whoever’s behind “The
Eyes,” as the boys call him, is either a murderer, hiding from the law, or both.
On a dare, Jamal breaks into the mysterious apartment, leaving his backpack when Forrester
scares him off. Days later, the pack comes sailing out the window, landing at Jamal’s
feet. When Jamal opens it and looks through his notebooks, he’s perturbed to find his
writing marked with corrections. Still, he’s intrigued by the possibility of
improvement, so he strikes up a tenuous friendship with Forrester. The break-in is the
most implausible plot device in the film (and, believe you me, there are plenty), an
action more akin to suburban kiddie behavior than that of urban teens, who are less likely
to stick their noses where they don’t belong.
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Jamal’s new prep school proves to be
a real thorn in the derriere, made particularly prickly by Professor Crawford (F. Murray
Abraham, going to waste here), who doesn’t believe Jamal is capable of the level of
writing he submits to class. Test scores be damned, he thinks the boy plagiarizes. His
insistence on proving it fuels the film’s conflict. Jamal finds support from
Forrester, his brother Terrell (Busta Rhymes, proving he can “get busy” off the
mike) and a tepid and ambiguous love interest at his new school, Claire (Anna Paquin).
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© 2000 Columbia Pictures, Inc.
Sean Connery (Forrester) and Rob Brown
(Jamal)
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Naturally, he gains more from his exchanges with Forrester
than how to write and he impacts the old man’s life with equal force. Mentoring Jamal
helps Forrester to live again, hence the title, in which the man “finds”
himself. Things move along nicely until Jamal breaks an agreement with Forrester, which
gives Crawford the ammunition he’s been waiting for. The denouement includes a scene
so sanguine I’m embarrassed to write about it. Suffice it to say it involves
Forrester, Crawford’s classroom, thunderous applause and loads of sap. M
December 2000
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