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GolfnGuitars's Replies
I loved your Bill Murray story! He's been a fixture at Pebble Beach for so many years...even though he plays the clown so often, he really has a nice swing (I believe he caddied as a kid in the Chicago area when growing up, if I remember correctly). So awesome as well that you got to go to Pebble Beach...I have never been but everyone I've talked to that's been there just raves about it. It's a special spot for sure!
Thank you, ecarle. I just marvel at your film knowledge and your analysis of films. When my dad passed away a little over six years ago, one of the ways I dealt with the grief from that was to watch quite a few of the "classic films" that I had never seen ( I really wasn't a huge moviegoer growing up) and I used a lot of your analysis & recommendations in doing so.
One thing I love about this movie is that I think that there are a lot of similarities between golf and life. This movie does a great job of illustrating that, as you mentioned in your post. I would never try to claim that this movie is the greatest movie ever made...but, yes, it is my favorite movie and I was so glad to see that you liked it as well.
I agree with the original post about the ending...I love this movie, except for the end.
I'm fine with McAvoy going for it on 18 and hitting it into the water. However, I would have written it so that Romeo (Cheech Marin's character) overrules McAvoy when McAvoy wants to try the same shot again. Something like, "Sometimes, in life, we don't always get what we want!" That's the lesson that McAvoy needed to learn...he gave it his best shot and it didn't happen. And that's OK...you live and learn. The ending to the movie just makes McAvoy and Rene Russo's character look like idiots, IMO.
Yes, he's a phenomenal guitarist. I actually got to attend his Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp back in 2002...changed my guitar playing (and my life) forever. He's still out there performing at almost 82 years old!
It's probably my all-time favorite movie, even with its flaws. It didn't do very well at the box office, though...I saw this in a theater in Columbus, OH, when it came out in 2000. There were only two other people in the theater with me, both high-school girls.
I think they made a mistake releasing this movie in the Fall. They should have released it in the Spring or early Summer, IMO.
I agree...I believe that this was filmed around Kiawah Island, SC ( although I seem to remember that they actually built a "special golf hole," just for this movie). There's just something about golf in the Carolinas
Hi, ecarle. I have been a fan of your writing for a long, long time (I used to read your posts on the old IMDB boards). I finally took the plunge after all these years and signed up, just to finally correspond with you.
"The Legend Of Bagger Vance" is probably my all-time favorite movie. I do think it's a "flawed movie" in some ways, but I love the cinematography and the "spirituality" of this movie (I think you have to be a golfer to really get it). I really like what you wrote above and will add a few thoughts of my own:
1) In addition to Bruce McGill as Walter Hagen, I thought Joel Gretsch did a great job as Bobby Jones.
2) I also enjoyed Peter Gerety's Nescaloosa. I think he's an underrated character actor and he did a great job as well.
3) I love the historical golf references in the movie. The scene where Junuh hits the "jigger" into the wind is a tribute to Tiger's famous "Stinger." I think Hagen hitting the 3-iron on the beach on 18 alludes to Seve Ballesteros, who supposedly learned the game hitting an old 3-iron on a Spanish beach. And I think Junuh's putt on 18 was a nod to Jack Nicklaus and his putt on 16 at the 1975 Masters.
I can't believe this movie is over 20 years old now. Where has the time gone?