U mudroj podjeli uloga, Williama Forrestera igra Sean Conery, u jednoj od najboljih uloga njegove uspjesne karijere. Covjek koji je izmislio hladnu hrabrost igrajuci originalnog filmskog Jamesa Bonda ovdje pokazuje svoju ranjivu stranu kao nekad slavni pisac koji sada zivi u dobrovoljnoj izolaciji. Imace slucajni susret sa Jamalom Lewisom, srednjoskolskom kosarkaskom zvijezdom, koji je, uz to, talentovan mladi pisac.

Jamal se ponasa pametno u teskoj okolini u Bronxu. Ne zeli se izdici iznad svojih prijatelja, ali je svjestan svog potencijala. Forrester pristupa ovom prijateljstvu sporo i pazljivo, pregledajuci Jamalove zadatke i sastave. Ali kada Jamal dobije priliku da se upise u prestiznu skolu na Manhattanu, bice mu potrebna Forresterova pomoc protiv profesora opterecenog predrasudama (F. Murray Abraham).

Iskrenost je ono sto drzi ovaj odnos u zivotu. Razgovori izmedju dvojice glavnih likova u lose osvijetljenom stanu prodiru duboko ispod njihovih povrsina, otkljucavajuci tajne njihovih psiha. Oni razmjenjuju mnoge sarkasticne strelice. Forrester ne daje nikakav popust Jamal zbog boje njegove koze, a Jamal se ne ustrucava da ismijava Forresterovu izolaciju i dob. Oni uce jedan od drugog, sto vodi ne samo do jedne, vec do dvije price o uspjehu.

U odlicnoj emotivnoj sceni na pola filma, Jamal uspijeva izvesti Forrestera iz njegove kuce na kosarkasku utakmicu, gdje ovaj dozivi napad panike, nesto sto nije ni u rjecniku Jamesa Bonda. Kasnije, Jamalov brat (kojeg igra rap-zvijezda Busta Rhymes) uprigodi posjetu Yankee Stadiumu, gdje njih dvojica imaju emotivan trenutak koji otkriva neke od Forresterovih najdubljih tajni.

"Finding Forrester" nas ocigledno podsjeca na nekoliko filmova koje smo vidjeli u posljednje vrijeme. Forresterova pojava na simpozijumu u finalnim momentima filma podsjeca na Pacinovu tiradu u "Mirisu zene". Van Sant ipak uspijeva da upita neka svjeza pitanja, odgovarajuci na njih u svom prepoznatljivom stilu, koristeci pametan dijalog i vizualna rjesenja. On prevazilazi granice stereotipa, od rasnih do dobnih i statusnih. Uz vazno musko prijateljstvo, Jamal ce razviti i tihu romansu sa Claire, kcerkom mocnog predsjednika skolskog odbora. Van Sant dodaje dasak ironije na kraj kratkom pojavom Matta Damona, u sceni koja nakratko sastavlja dva pobunjena mlada genija iz njegova dva filma.

With a clever casting move, William Forrester is played by Sean Connery, in one of the best roles of his illustrious career. A man who invented cool courage in the original silver screen James Bond shows his vulnerable side as a once famous writer living in a voluntary isolation. He has a chance encounter with Jamal Lewis, young high-school basketball star, who also happens to be an aspiring writer, a talented one at that.

Jamal is playing it smart in the tough Bronx neighborhood. He doesn’t want to stand out from his friends, but he is aware of his potential. Forrester walks into this friendship slowly and carefully, reviewing Jamal’s papers and writings. But when Jamal gets an opportunity to go into a prestigious Manhattan school, he’ll need Forrester’s help against a prejudiced professor (F. Murray Abraham).

It is the sincerity that keeps the relationship going. The conversations between the two leading men in the poorly lit apartment penetrate deep under their surface, unlocking the secrets of each psyche. Many sarcastic stings are exchanged. Forrester doesn’t cut Jamal any slack on account of the color of his skin, and Jamal doesn’t back off from ridiculing Forrester’s isolation and age. They learn from each other, leading to not just one, but two success stories.

In a great emotional scene mid way through the movie, Jamal manages to bring Forrester out of his house prison to a basketball game, where he suffers a panic attack, something that’s not even in vocabulary of James Bond. Later, Jamal’s brother (played by a rap star Busta Rhymes) arranges for a visit to Yankee Stadium, where the two of them have an emotional moment that reveals some of the Forrester’s deepest secrets.

Finding Forrester obviously reminds us a lot of other movies we’ve seen lately. Forrester’s appearance at the writer’s symposium in the final moments of the movie is reminiscent of Pacino’s tirade in Scent of A Woman. Van Sant still manages to ask a few fresh questions, answering them in his very original style, using smart dialogue and visual solutions. He breaks the limits of stereotypes, both racial and those of age and status. Along with a great male friendship, Jamal will develop a quiet romance with Claire, the daughter of the powerful school board’s chairman. Van Sant adds a touch of irony at the end, with the short appearance of Matt Damon towards the end, in a scene that briefly puts together the two rebellious young geniuses from his two movies.