Searching for Bobby Fischer, 1993 (Movie Review)

We have never been much of a “movie family.” But recently we’ve decided to make family movie nights a priority, and go in search of quality movies that will be enriching and enjoyable to watch. It’s been great so far! We hope it will help others find good content as well.

Searching for Bobby Fischer was our choice a few weeks ago. It took us a little while to realize that the movie was not about Bobby Fischer (the most famous American chess player) though his story is relayed throughout the film. It is about a young man named Joshua Waitzkin who was a childhood chess prodigy in the early 1980s. Joshua’s parents suddenly realize that their seven year old has a very unusual talent for chess, and they begin to put him into lessons with a famous chess instructor in New York city.

There are a number of great lessons that come through in this movie. A few of them are:

*Character above performance.

*Friendship across age “barriers.”

*Friendship across cultural boundaries.

*Leadership is hard. Each instructor in your life has their good points and bad. Nobody has all the answers, but you can learn from the strengths (and weaknesses) of others.

*The value in being passionate about something.

*A father who wants to bring out the best in his son in his unusual ability, but has to wrestle with what is actually best for his son.

A fun side note: our kids were intrigued to find out that the real Joshua Waitzkin made a cameo appearance in the film, and so we had to go back and find that moment.

A good movie can be a valuable tool in striking up some good conversation amongst the family members. Discussing a movie you’ve watched together–analyzing scenes, evaluating the acting, debating the plot–it’s a great way to connect with family. Watching this particular movie might even result in some good chess matches!

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