Bobby Fischer and I have a connection of sorts. I only knew about chess as 1972 began, a 26-year-old who had no idea what chess really was, and certainly no idea how it was played. In 1972 I became an avid chess player, only because of the publicity of the world championship matches, which Bobby Fischer won. He was only 2 years older than I.
So with that as my personal background, I was curious about this film, a biography of sorts. It isn't a very good film. Bobby Fischer was a distinctive person, obviously a genius with a funny sense of humor and a nervous smile when he was being interviewed, as he was on the Dick Cavett show in 1971. The actors here do not capture any of the essence of Bobby Fischer, and way too little film time is spent on Fischer's matches, while too much is spent on speculation why he was as he was.
Damian Chapa plays the adult Bobby Fischer, while his sons play Fischer at two other ages, Ricco Chapa for Fischer at age 15 and Presly Chapa for Fischer at age 6. Dad Damian also directed so it was a total family affair. On one level I admire a family project, but some of it looked quite like the family movies we made on videotape back in the 1970s and 1980s.
For those who may really be interested in Bobby Fischer you can get more out of viewing a few of the videos available on YouTube. The 1971 interview on the Dick Cavett show is my favorite, it shows the essence of Bobby Fischer in a non-competitive setting and that 7 minutes is worth more than all of this film's time.
So with that as my personal background, I was curious about this film, a biography of sorts. It isn't a very good film. Bobby Fischer was a distinctive person, obviously a genius with a funny sense of humor and a nervous smile when he was being interviewed, as he was on the Dick Cavett show in 1971. The actors here do not capture any of the essence of Bobby Fischer, and way too little film time is spent on Fischer's matches, while too much is spent on speculation why he was as he was.
Damian Chapa plays the adult Bobby Fischer, while his sons play Fischer at two other ages, Ricco Chapa for Fischer at age 15 and Presly Chapa for Fischer at age 6. Dad Damian also directed so it was a total family affair. On one level I admire a family project, but some of it looked quite like the family movies we made on videotape back in the 1970s and 1980s.
For those who may really be interested in Bobby Fischer you can get more out of viewing a few of the videos available on YouTube. The 1971 interview on the Dick Cavett show is my favorite, it shows the essence of Bobby Fischer in a non-competitive setting and that 7 minutes is worth more than all of this film's time.