The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
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A mysterious caddy helps a traumatized war veteran rediscover his 'authentic swing' during a high-stakes golf exhibition match.
The story
In 1931 Georgia, Adele Invergordon attempts to recover her family's lost fortune by organizing a prestigious four-round exhibition match between legendary golfers Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. Needing a local participant to draw interest, she is persuaded by a young Hardy Greaves to recruit his childhood idol, Rannulph Junuh. Junuh, a former U.S. Army captain traumatized by World War I, has become a broken-down alcoholic. He is eventually approached by a mysterious traveler named Bagger Vance, who offers to serve as his caddy. With Bagger's guidance, Junuh must confront his internal demons to compete in the tournament.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins with Hardy Greaves reflecting on his love for golf in old age. He recalls his idol, Rannulph Junuh, a wealthy Georgia native who became a broken alcoholic after being traumatized in World War I. During the Great Depression, Adele Invergordon organizes a $10,000 exhibition match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. At her request, Junuh agrees to play, aided by a mysterious caddy named Bagger Vance. While Jones and Hagen perform well, Junuh struggles initially but finds his 'authentic swing' in the second round with Bagger's advice. As the match progresses, Junuh rekindles his romance with Adele. In the final round, Junuh faces a war flashback but refocuses with Bagger's help. He pulls into a tie but chooses to call a penalty on himself for a loose impediment. Seeing Junuh's growth, Bagger leaves the match unfinished, handing the caddy position to Greaves. The match ends in a three-way tie. In the present, the elderly Greaves sees Bagger Vance on the course and follows him.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Redford
- Writers
- Jeremy Leven · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Will Smith · Rannulph Junuh; Matt Damon · Bobby Jones; Charlize Theron · Adele Invergordon; Jack Lemmon · Hardy Greaves; Lane Smith · Hardy Greaves
- Genres
- sports; fantasy; drama
- Themes
- integrity; overcoming trauma; mysticism
- Tone and mood
- sumptuous; pretentious; mystical
- Premise and plot tags
- sports; fantasy; drama; historical; magical realism
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life by Steven Pressfield
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative reviews and was a box office bomb, grossing $39.5 million against an $80 million budget.
- Production trivia
- The plot is loosely based on the Hindu sacred text the Bhagavad Gita.; The score was the last to be recorded at CTS Studios in Wembley, England, before the scoring stage's closure and demolition.; The final hole in the film was temporary and cost US$200,000 to build.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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