‘Forrester’ works, despite shortcomings

In Theaters

“Finding Forrester.” Directed by Gus Van Sant. Written by Mike Rich. 133 minutes. PG-13.

With that whole “Psycho” remake business out of his system, Gus Van Sant returns to theaters with something much less nightmarish and awful – “Finding Forrester,” a good movie with good performances that goes a long way in making audiences feel, well, good about a whole lot of things, not the least of which is Mr. Van Sant and his future as a director of mainstream films.

His latest, from a script by Mike Rich, stars Sean Connery as William Forrester, a J.D. Salinger knockoff of a certain age who, in his youth, wrote the great American novel – and then stopped.

The film, which is less about why Forrester stopped writing novels, instead probes the relationship between Forrester and Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), a gifted 16-year-old writer from the Bronx who meets Forrester on a dare, is intrigued by what he finds, and then struggles to form a relationship with the man.

Naturally, since this is a formulaic Hollywood tale, their relationship blooms, a bond tightens between them, and their lives are forever changed by the experience of coming to know one another.

What’s remarkable about “Finding Forrester” isn’t its connect-the-dot predictability or that it recalls “Dead Poets Society” and especially “Good Will Hunting” – Van Sant’s other movie about a young genius who does well – but that it’s so enjoyable in spite of its shortcomings.

Brown, who makes a strong acting debut here, easily holds his own opposite Connery; together they have a chemistry that creates interest even while Rich’s script is content to only go through the motions.

As Forrester, Connery once again proves his versatility; his Forrester is wise yet vulnerable, a writer’s writer who respects Jamal’s talent enough to give it room to breathe, while gently coaxing it with these sorts of useful insights into the craft: “Why is it that the words we write for ourselves are so much better than the words we write for others?” Or, perhaps more helpful to Jamal, “Women will sleep with you if you write a book.”

With F. Murray Abraham, Busta Rhymes, Anna Paquin and April Grace all rounding out a fine cast, “Finding Forrester” does an admirable job in keeping the schmaltz at bay while, at the end, delivering a genuine surprise: an effective, unbilled cameo by an actor Van Sant once directed to stardom.

Grade: B+

“Traffic,” directed by Stephen Soderbergh. Written by Stephen Gaghan. 147 minutes. Rated R. Now playing, Railroad Square Cinema, Waterville.

With guts, muscle and several kilos of brio, director Stephen Soderbergh storms into theaters with yet another terrific film, “Traffic,” a great movie about the ongoing drug wars that brilliantly, stylishly and powerfully interweaves three loosely related stories.

Arguably the best director working in Hollywood today, Soderbergh, who directed Julia Roberts and Albert Finney in one of last year’s best films, “Erin Brockovich,” proves with “Traffic” that he’s a major talent, a director with a style and a vision that’s deeply his own, yet eminently accessible.

Armed with a powerhouse of a cast (including Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid, Albert Finney, Don Cheadle, Amy Irving, Luis Guzman, Tomas Milian, Miguel Ferrer, Erika Christensen and Benicio Del Toro), Soderbergh lights his own scenes and acts as his own cinematographer to capture a frenetic, unpredictable world fraught with violence, betrayal, addiction, great wealth, greater despair, and, underscoring it all, the ongoing highs and lows of a society corrupted by drugs.

What’s new about that? Plenty. The film’s triumph isn’t just in its brutal depiction of a society we think we’ve seen, but in how the director resists the temptation to moralize; he never does. In fact, what he presents in “Traffic” isn’t cynical or, for that matter, hopeful. Instead, by shooting his film in the rougher edges of a documentary style, he becomes something of a journalist, one whose unrelenting eye is content to chronicle the events, but not to comment on them.

That decision gives his film a ferocious power.

From Catherine-Zeta Jones’ beautifully gritty performance as a society matron who learns her family’s fortune was built on drugs to Michael Douglas’ understated performance as an Ohio State Supreme Court justice turned drug czar whose daughter (Christensen) has taken a liking to crack and heroin, “Traffic” generously gives each actor his or her moment while never allowing them to descend into cheap theatrics.

The film might not offer a groundbreaking view, but what it sees in the big picture is nevertheless exciting. I’ve been vague about the film’s specifics but that’s because much of the movie’s enjoyment comes from the surprises Soderbergh keeps springing on his audience as if he were a strung-out addict waving a loaded gun.

The best surprise? Hands down, that belongs to Benicio Del Toro’s amazing performance as the Tijuana cop, Javier Rodriguez. See the movie yourself to find out why he’ll be a best supporting actor nominee at this year’s Academy Awards.

Grade: A

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays in Style, Thursdays in the scene and Thursdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5:30” on WLBZ-2 and WCSH-6.