Month: November 2000

There was a time when juvenile comedies were not about screwing innocent pastry or injuring defenseless household pets. Long ago, movies aimed at the high-school and college crowds occasionally had some substance to them, had a point of view and something meaningful to say, even if it was buried under crass comedy. I speak of Caddyshack, from the era, now long gone, when movies starring SNL alum were not embarrassments, and the suggestion of something gross was funnier for being only a suggestion.

The Legend of Bagger Vance is Redford’s latest attempt to break through the crust of the most hard-hearted cynic and warm her heart — and as that very person, I can attest that he succeeds. Redford pulls the emotional strings of a story oft-told so sublimely that I went along with him willingly, grateful with the opportunity to get swept away in it and for a little cry at the end.