A.K.A. Innocent Moves
I went through a bit of a chess phase in elementary school. It didn't last long, and my interest was quickly killed by two of my cousins, both of whom stomped me every single time we played (yeah, I was one of those kids who would give up on activities if I wasn't immediately good at them), but that brief period did give me some lingering affection for the game, which probably made this movie that much more enjoyable to me.
Even if you know absolutely nothing about chess, though, I'd have to imagine that it's still pretty easy to relate to the themes of innocence, compassion, and conserving love for your interests without allowing stress or pressure to destroy them (which I've already felt once or twice with this very blog, meaning the movie hit home for me in more ways than one), especially when you consider the inspirational nature of the script, Steven Zaillian's warm, heartfelt direction, and the who's who of great character actors.
It's all tender and moving enough that I'm mostly able to look past a few tedious conflicts, as well as Ben Kingsley's iffy performance. Man, between this, Sneakers, and Species, someone really needed to tell this guy back in the '90s that he shouldn't be attempting accents.
Grade: A-
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