Finding Forrester
| Finding Forrester | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Gus Van Sant |
| Produced by |
Sean Connery Laurence Mark |
| Written by | Mike Rich |
| Starring | Busta Rhymes |
| Cinematography | Harris Savides |
| Edited by | Valdís Óskarsdóttir |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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136 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $43 million |
| Box office | $80,049,764 |
Finding Forrester is a 2000 American drama film written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van Sant. An African-American teenager, Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. By chance, Jamal befriends a reclusive writer, William Forrester (Sean Connery), through whom he refines his talent for writing and comes to terms with his identity. Anna Paquin, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Pitt, Glenn Fitzgerald, April Grace and Busta Rhymes star in supporting roles.
Although the film is not based on a true story, film critics have compared the character portrayed by Connery with real life writer J.D. Salinger. Connery later acknowledged that the inspiration for his role was indeed Salinger.
Sixteen-year-old Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) plays basketball with his friends in New York. A recluse, William Forrester (Sean Connery), lives on the top floor of the building across from the court. The kids regularly notice him watching them. One of the boys dares Jamal to sneak into the apartment and retrieve an item. Jamal takes a letter opener only to be surprised by Forrester and inadvertently leaves his backpack behind. Forrester later drops Jamal's backpack onto the street. Jamal returns home to find that Forrester wrote notes in Jamal's journals. Jamal returns to Forrester's apartment and asks him to read more of his writing. Forrester tells him to begin with 5,000 words on why Jamal should "stay the fuck out of my home," which he completes and leaves on the doorstep the following day.
Jamal returns the next day, and is invited inside. Forrester knows that a representative from Mailor-Callow, a prestigious private school, offered Jamal a full academic scholarship, partly for his skill on the basketball court and partly for his test scores. Jamal learns that Forrester is the author of a famous book, Avalon Landing, and that he has never published another. Forrester agrees to help Jamal with his writing as long as Jamal does not ask about his personal life.
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Wikipedia