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On October 31st, 2020, renowned actor, Sir Sean Connery, best known as the first James Bond, passed away at the age of 90. Sir Sean Connery was a titan of stage and the silver screen. In addition to establishing the standard for portraying agent 007, Sir Connery created a plethora of memorable performances throughout his career until his well-earned retirement in 2003. Among his accomplishments are the role of Indiana Jones’s father in The Last Crusade, King Arthur in First Knight, and Ramírez in the cult-classic Highlander (which I will cover later on this month).
In honor of Sir Sean Connery’s memory and legacy, I thought it would be a nice idea to take a look at one of his last films. I say “one of” because todays subject, Finding Forrester, is only his second-to-last film. However, considering the movie he did afterwards, it is preferable to behold Finding Forrester as is “actual” last film. I won’t go into details about that particular movie, suffice-it-to-say it is not worthy of Sir Sean Connery’s legendary status.
But I digress. Let us now discuss a better memory of Sir Connery’s talents.
Released in 2000, Finding Forrester is a story about creativity, talent, and friendship. Set in New York, the story follows a 16-year-old boy named Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), who enjoys playing Basket Ball almost as much as he loves reading and writing. His incredible talent, accompanied by his impressive test scores, land him a special scholarship to a prodigious private school, where he may have a better opportunity to hone his craft as a writer. At around the same time, Jamal encounters a bitter old man, whom he later discovers is world-famous author William Forester (Sir Sean Connery). Mr. Forester has been living in solitude for over thirty years, and, despite his literary acclaim, has only published one book. Upon making this discovery, Jamal and William strike a deal: William will tutor Jamal in writing, and in return, Jamal will remain silent about their arrangement. From there, the two of them build a unique friendship that neither one of them could have ever expected.
The main attraction to this film is the performances. As you would expect, Sir Sean Connery brings his stellar charisma to the role; carrying the emotional weight of his characters past on his shoulders. The film also boasts an overall impressive cast of talented actors: featuring Anna Paquin as Jamal’s love interest, F. Murray Abraham as a dubious professor, and Busta Rhymes as Jamel’s older brother. Even so, the most impressive and memorable performance comes from Rob Brown as Jamal Wallace.
At the time, Rob Brown was a promising high-school athlete, who originally auditioned as an extra for the film, and only to pay off an outstanding cell phone bill. However, director Gus Van Sant was incredibly impressed with Rob Brown’s natural charisma, and decided to cast him in the lead role. Despite never having any kind of formal training in acting, Rob Brown delivered a stellar performance. And, in doing so, reenforced the notion that raw talent can come from anywhere.
Finding Forrester is the kind of “feel good” movie that has genuine heart. It has a level of grit and conviction to it not often found in cinema today. It is the perfect kind of farewell film worthy of the late Sir Sean Connery. Check this one out if you haven’t already.
Rest in peace, Sir Sean Connery. You will be missed.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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