“You write your first draft with your heart, you rewrite with your head.” -William Forrester
While many think “Bond” when speaking of Sir Sean Connery who passed away at age 90 on Friday, to me he was Marko Raimius, Jimmy Malone, Henry Jones Sr., and my favorite, William Forrester in one of the more underrated hoops themed films, “Finding Forrester.”
For those who don’t know or have never seen, a quick primer and reminder is below.
William Forrester was a character who embraced social distancing well before his time, but he was also strong enough to finally embrace being comfortable in very uncomfortable ways. He had his routine, but he also recognized that talent, and encouraging talent, was important to help lead someone (in this case young Jamal Wallace) to a place that Jamal could not have done on his own. Eventhough they came from very different backgrounds, their love of sport as a release from their personal issues, as well as their ability to listen and build stories was their common ground.
We learn so much from the two characters about overcoming adversity, and finding gritty ways to get through the mundane challenges. It is also a story about being able to find a way to achieve a goal even when the forces around you conspire to fail.
We also learn about how a master storyteller like William Forrester drives his creative vision. When asked by Jamal why he wastes time reading The National Inquirer as well as the New York Times, William tells Jamal… “The Times is my meal, but this (The Inquirer) is the dessert.” Never stop looking for creative flow.
We find out at the end that Wallace saved Forrester and gave him one last chance to escape the mental chains he had placed on himself, and we hope that Jamal was able to ride the bond he built with William to new heights well beyond the simple pursuits he was originally interested in.
The story overall is a familiar one in many aspects to those who have been around elite prep sports, and sadly reflects so many of the stereotypes still perpetuated today. However the deeper dive shows us the power of where stories, and encouragement can take us.
RIP Sir Sean, and William Forrester.
At least for now…
The film, which debuted in 2000, was written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van Sant. In the film, a black teenager, Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown, who we later saw as Ernie Davis in The Express), is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. By chance, Jamal befriends a reclusive writer, William Forrester (Sean Connery), through whom he refines his talent for writing and comes to terms with his identity. The cast includes a young Anna Paquin, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Pitt (who starred later in Boardwalk Empire), Busta Rhymes, Michael Nouri and even has a Matt Damon cameo at the end.
Although the film is not based on a true story, Forrester parallels the life of the late J. D. Salinger.
In the Bronx, sixteen-year-old Wallace downplays his potential as a gifted student, preferring to play basketball with his friends. They are watched by Forrester, a recluse who set new records for social distancing and isolation, never leaves his apartment and has become a neighborhood urban legend. Dared by his friends, Jamal sneaks into the apartment, but is surprised by Forrester and flees, leaving his backpack behind. Forrester later drops the backpack onto the street, having edited Jamal’s personal writings. Jamal asks him to read more of his writing, but Forrester angrily tells him to begin with 5,000 words on why he should “stay out of my home.” Jamal does so, leaving the essay on Forrester’s doorstep, and is invited inside.
Due to his high test scores, Jamal is offered a full academic scholarship and transfers to Mailor-Callow, a prestigious Manhattan private school (which is actually Regis High School), with the understanding that he will join the basketball team. Jamal learns that Forrester is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of a famous novel, Avalon Landing, but never published another book. Forrester agrees to help Jamal with his writing as long as he does not ask about Forrester’s life or tell anyone about him. They bond as Forrester gives Jamal his own work to rewrite, on the condition that their writing never leaves the apartment. Jamal’s writing improves, leading one of his professors, Robert Crawford, to suspect him of plagiarism.
Jamal excels on the basketball court, but is alienated from his old friends. He convinces Forrester to attend a Knicks game with him at Madison Square Garden, but they become separated and Forrester, overwhelmed by the crowd, has an anxiety attack. With his brother Terrell’s help, Jamal takes Forrester onto the empty field at Yankee Stadium, where an emotional Forrester reveals he often came with his brother. He tells Jamal about his brother’s trauma returning home from World War II – the basis for his book – and how Forrester’s indirect role in his death, followed by the deaths of their parents, led him to become a recluse.
Still suspicious, Crawford forces Jamal to complete his next assignment in his presence. Running out of time to enter the school’s essay competition, Jamal submits one of Forrester’s exercises to the contest, and humiliates Crawford during class. He is called before Crawford and the school board, who reveal that Forrester had published the article upon which Jamal based his essay. Asked to prove he had the author’s permission to use his material, Jamal keeps his promise to Forrester and says nothing. Crawford demands he read a letter of apology to his classmates, but Jamal refuses, endangering his scholarship. Telling Forrester what he has done, Jamal asks his friend to defend him, but Forrester is angry Jamal betrayed his trust by taking their writing, and is still unwilling to leave his home.
The school assures Jamal that the plagiarism charges will be dropped if he wins the state basketball tournament, but he deliberately misses the final free throws, costing them the championship. Watching the game on TV, Forrester manages to ride his bicycle through the city. Terrell gives him a letter from Jamal, who arrives at school for the essay contest. Forrester appears, and reads a heartfelt essay to the captive audience. He acknowledges his friendship with Jamal, whom he explains had his blessing to use his material, but Crawford declares that this will not influence the school’s decision. Forrester reveals that the essay he recited was actually the letter Jamal had written, and the headmaster overrules Crawford and clears Jamal’s name. Jamal leaves with Forrester, who plans to visit his native Scotland.
One year later, Jamal is preparing to graduate from Mailor-Callow. He meets with Sanderson, an attorney, who explains that Forrester has died, having been diagnosed with cancer before he met Jamal. Forrester has bequeathed his apartment to Jamal, with a letter thanking him for rekindling his desire to live. Jamal is also given the manuscript of Forrester’s second novel, for which he is expected to write the foreword, and joins his old friends in a basketball game.
To quote another award winning Connery character, Malone from “The Untouchables,”
“Never finish fighting until the fight is over…Here Endeth the Lesson.”
At least for now…
