Finding Forrester

A Bronx teenager (Rob Brown) gets a scholarship to a high-tone private school, where an arrogant English teacher (F. Murray Abraham) assumes that he’s only there for his basketball prowess. But the youth has a restless, curious intellect, and his best teacher turns out to be a famous novelist (Sean Connery), an urban hermit since his success 40 years ago. Mike Rich’s script is overlong, hopelessly reminiscent of Good Will Hunting and doesn’t always deliver the goods it promises: We see more of the hero’s skill on the court than his ability as a writer, which is supposedly his real talent. Still, director Gus Van Sant seasons the familiar recipe with zesty performances—Connery is, as always, a titanic presence, and newcomer Brown (in his first acting ever) matches him every step of the way.