The Legend of Bagger Vance
| The Legend of Bagger Vance | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Robert Redford |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Jeremy Leven |
| Based on |
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Jack Lemmon |
| Music by | Rachel Portman |
| Cinematography | Michael Ballhaus |
| Edited by | Hank Corwin |
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Production
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| Distributed by | DreamWorks Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million |
| Box office | $39.5 million |
The Legend of Bagger Vance is a 2000 sports drama film directed by Robert Redford, and stars Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron. The screenplay by Jeremy Leven is based on the 1995 book The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life by Steven Pressfield, it takes place in the U.S. state of Georgia in 1931. The film served as the final roles of Jack Lemmon before his death the following year and Lane Smith before his death five years later.
On release, the film was a box office bomb, grossing almost $40 million worldwide, and received mixed to negative reviews; criticism was targeted by several African American commentators and reviewers for employing the "magical negro" stereotype.
As an old man having his sixth heart attack while playing golf, Hardy Greaves (Jack Lemmon), contemplates how his wife used to ask him (before her passing) why he insisted on playing "a game that seems destined to kill" him. Explaining his love for the game, he begins the story of his childhood idol; Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon).
Junuh is the favorite son of Savannah, Georgia and a noteworthy golfer. From a wealthy family, the beautiful Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron) was Junuh's girlfriend before he went off to war. While serving as a captain in the US Army during World War I, Junuh is traumatized when his entire company is wiped out in battle. Though he earns the Medal of Honor, he disappears after the war, returning to Georgia years later to live a shadowy life as a drunk, golf being just a distant memory.
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Wikipedia