A rare family film that's not afraid to inject conflict and complexity into its images of domestic happiness.
Based on the real-life story of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, SEARCHING begins with the seven-year-old boy (Max Pomeranc) becoming enthralled by the matches he sees being played in New York's Washington Square Park. Josh, it turns out, harbors a rare talent for the game and, encouraged by his
sportswriter father (Joe Mantegna), begins to learn more about it from two markedly different teachers: Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne), a kind of chess bum who apparently lives in the park and plays with a fast, streetwise style; and Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley), a reclusive scholar with a purist
intellectual approach. Josh soon becomes a chess star, moving some to compare him to the young Bobby Fischer. (Excerpts from Fischer's life are narrated in voice-over by Josh, providing a poignant parallel to his own story.) Success, however, brings the inevitable pitfalls. His father's support
starts to look like obsession, causing friction within the family; and Josh's confidence and innocence are fractured by the appearance of a brilliant young rival.
Though SEARCHING finally ties up its loose ends a little too neatly, what comes before that is a joy; an engrossing, witty story about far more than chess, directed with a flawless eye for detail and superbly performed by some of the best actors around--including young Mr. Pomeranc. leave a comment
