History Film / FindingForrester

* OscarBait: Inspirational story? A laid-back setting with loads of drama bubbling under the surface? [[MemeticMutation Quotable quotes?]] It's all here.

''Finding Forrester'' is a movie from 2000 about a boy from a poor neighborhood in the Bronx with talents for writing and basketball. When his high test scores and athletic skills get him a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, he meets a famously reclusive author who helps lead him to success. The film is starred by Rob Brown as Jamal, Creator/SeanConnery as the titular Forrester William Forrester. The cast is completed by Creator/AnnaPaquin, Creator/FMurrayAbraham and Music/BustaRhymes.

->"''[[MemeticMutation You're the man now, dog!]]''"

->"''In a forgotten corner of the Bronx, something hidden is about to be found, someone legendary is about to be discovered, and something extraordinary is about to take place...''"
-->-- '''The trailer's narration'''

[[quoteright:259:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/203803_5063.jpg]]

* MagicalNegro: Jamal is [[TropesAreNotBad a thoughtful and fleshed out]] version to William as he brings the old writer out of his shell. It gives depth to their student/teacher relationship.

* OneBookAuthor: William [[spoiler:though he leaves the completed draft of another book for Jamal to include a foreword]].

* [[spoiler:MentorOccupationalHazard]]

* [[spoiler:SecretlyDying]]: Revealed at the end of the movie that William [[spoiler:had been diagnosed with terminal cancer]] several years before meeting Jamal, which explains a lot of their earlier interaction.

* TheObiWan: William is this to Jamal.

'''''Finding Forrester''''' is a movie from 2000 about a boy from a poor neighborhood in the Bronx with talents for writing and basketball. When his high test scores and athletic skills get him a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, he meets a famously reclusive author who helps lead him to success. The film is starred by Rob Brown as Jamal, Creator/SeanConnery as the titular Forrester William Forrester. The cast is completed by Creator/AnnaPaquin, FMurrayAbraham and Music/BustaRhymes

It was {{Gus Van Sant}}'s more proper follow-up to ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' (after his poorly-regarded ''{{Psycho|1998}}'' remake) and it's perceived failure led to an eight year sabbatical from mainstream Hollywood filmmaking, doing [[Film/{{Gerry}} a string]] [[Film/{{Elephant}} of minimalist]] [[Film/LastDays movies where]] [[Film/ParanoidPark he had a hand in the writing]], before coming back with Film/{{Milk}}.

It was {{Gus Van Sant}}'s more proper follow-up to ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' (after his poorly-regarded ''{{Psycho|1998}}'' remake) and it's perceived failure led to an eight year sabbatical from mainstream Hollywood filmmaking, doing [[Film/{{Gerry}} a string]] [[Film/{{Elephant}} of minimalist]] [[Film/LastDays movies where]] [[Film/ParanoidPark he had a hand in the writing]], before coming back with [[Film/{{Milk}}]].

It was {{Gus Van Sant}}'s more proper follow-up to ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' (after his poorly-regarded ''{{Psycho|1998}}'' remake) and it's perceived failure led to an eight year sabbatical from mainstream Hollywood filmmaking, doing [[Film/Gerry a string]] [[Film/Elephant of minimalist]] [[Film/LastDays movies where]] [[Film/ParanoidPark he had a hand in the writing]], before coming back with [[Film/Milk]].

It was {{Gus Van Sant}}'s more proper follow-up to ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' (after his poorly-regarded ''{{Psycho|1998}}'' remake) and his last mainstream Hollywood film.

* BrilliantButLazy / ObfuscatingStupidity: Jamal, prior to meeting Forrester, intentionally performed averagely on his homework and testing in order to save face around his friends. Eventually, the school discovers just how smart Jamal actually is. Forrester also [[InvokedTrope calls Jamal]] out on this.
* DeadpanSnarker: Forrester is usually this, although Jamal has some moments too.
* HandsOnApproach: Jamaal ostensibly teaching a girl how to play defense in basketball.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The gruff and irritable Forrester.
* MagicalNegro: Jamal is [[TropesAreNotBad a thoughtful and fleshed out]] version to Forrester as he brings the old writer out of his shell. It gives depth to their student/teacher relationship.

* TheObiWan: Forrester is this to Jamal.
* OneBookAuthor: Forrester[[spoiler:, though he writes another book in the end.]]

* PlagiarismInFiction: Jamal is accused of this when he turns in an essay written with Forrester's help.
* ReclusiveArtist: [[invoked]] Forrester is this at the beginning of the movie, but Jamal convinces him to experience the outside world by the end.

* SoundtrackDissonance: The scene where Jamal finds out that [[spoiler: Forrester dies]] has oddly upbeat music. Although it may have been to get across the point that [[spoiler: Forrester died happily.]]
* ThrowingTheFight: Jamal Wallace misses a pair of free-throws at the end of a game on purpose because he's tired of the way he's being treated by the administrators of his school.

'''''Finding Forrester''''' is a movie from 2000 about a boy from a poor neighborhood in the Bronx with talents for writing and basketball. When his high test scores and athletic skills get him a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, he meets a famously reclusive author who helps lead him to success. The film is starred by Rob Brown as Jamal, SeanConnery as the titular Forrester William Forrester. The cast is completed by AnnaPaquin, FMurrayAbraham and BustaRhymes

'''''Finding Forrester''''' is a movie from 2000 about a boy from a poor neighborhood in the Bronx with talents for writing and basketball. When his high test scores and athletic skills get him a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, he meets a famously reclusive author who helps lead him to success.

* RightThroughTheWall: Again, Jamal's neighbors.

* WhiteMansBurden: Bit more complicated than that, and inverted somewhat. See MagicalNegro.

* ReclusiveArtist: Forrester is this at the beginning of the movie, but Jamal convinces him to experience the outside world by the end.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Matt Damon has a brief appearance as a lawyer near the end of the film.
** Don't forget F. Murray Abraham, who plays Salieri in Amadeus.
** Creator/AnnaPaquin anyone?

** AnnaPaquin anyone?

Finding Forrester is a movie from 2000 about a boy from a poor neighborhood in the Bronx with talents for writing and basketball. When his high test scores and athletic skills get him a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, he meets a famously reclusive author who helps lead him to success.

!!''Finding Forrester'' provides examples of: