Made by Good Will Hunting's director Gus Van Sant, Finding Forrester tells another uplifting story about life-inspired growth with a good few compelling touches thrown in.
Both movies centre on a mentoring relationship between a gifted teenager from the ghetto and an ageing cranky mentor, sparking influential changes in each other's lives.
After some painful experiences legendary novelist William Forrester (007 James Bond Sean Connery) has shut himself away from the outside world, turning into an eccentric reclusive.
Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), an African-American teenager with an extraordinary writing talent, finds his mentor on a dare, accidentally discovers his real identity and finally breathes life into him again by helping him overcome his fears.
The writer-in-the-making also finds the Forrester in himself and is lifted from the mediocrity his ghetto peers inhabit.
While the story's originality is tarnished by its resemblance to Hunting, its literary context adds a distinctive texture. Forrester's old apartment, which is stuffed with great works ranging from ancient Italian Dante to poems by Edgar Allan Poe, plus a noisy typewriter and other old possessions, characterises him well. Jamal's prestigious preparatory school is dimly lit despite its academic air, communicating an oppressiveness that traps students.
This character-driven plot centres on the pair's interaction, relying heavily on Connery's skilful performance. He acts out the arrogance, eccentricity and very human fears characteristic of the literary genius. His charms balances out newcomer Brown's rather bland performance.
