Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
90%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
6 wins & 11 nominations total
As sensitive as the young man at its center, Searching for Bobby Fischer uses a prodigy’s struggle to find personal balance as the background for a powerfully moving drama
Searching for Bobby Fischer is like The Karate Kid, but with chess. It’s a heartwarming story about a young chess prodigy who doesn’t want his genius to ruin his life. The cast is first-rate, and newcomer Max Pomeranc is nothing short of brilliant as Josh. Plus, his raspy voice and slight lisp make him sound like Linus from the Peanuts cartoons. Conrad Hall’s Oscar-nominated photography is as impressive as the acting, and Zaillian brings the film to a satisfying ending. Overall, it’s a wonderfully engaging film that will make you want to dust off your old chessboard and start playing again.
Production Company(ies)
Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions, Rollins-Joffe Productions,
Distributor
Argentina Video Home, Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for thematic elements
Year of Release
1993
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 11, 1993 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 12, 2013
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
Searching for Bobby Fischer, PG, Biography, Drama, 1h 50m, directed by Steven Zaillian, written by Steven Zaillian, produced by William Horberg and Scott Rudin, starring Joe Mantegna, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Kenneth Turan, David Ansen, Brian Lowry, Michael Booth, box office gross of $7.9M, MPAA rating of PG, chess, child prodigy, competition, compassion, balance, family movie, heartwarming, inspirational, New York, chess hustler, famous coach, chess prodigy, chess match, chess player, chess tournament, chess championship, chess strategy, chessboard, chess pieces, chess game, chess club, chess lesson, chess training, chess book, chess opening, chess endgame, chess sacrifice, chess tactics, chess analysis, chess notation, chess clock, chess notation, chess rating, chess championship, chess world championship, chess Olympiad, chess puzzle, chess problem, chess engine, chess computer, chess software, chess database, chess variant, chess960, chess boxing, chess set
Worldwide gross: $7,266,383
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,094,132
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,814
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,646,034
US/Canada gross: $7,266,383
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,094,132
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,494
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,121,354
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,329,338
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,188
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $12,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $24,927,062
Production budget ranking: 1,254
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $13,423,223
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$23,256,153
ROI to date (est.): -61%
ROI ranking: 1,750
Max Pomeranc – Josh Waitzkin
Joan Allen – Bonnie Waitzkin
Ben Kingsley – Bruce Pandolfini
Laurence Fishburne – Vinnie
Michael Nirenberg – Jonathan Poe
Director(s)
Steven Zaillian
Writer(s)
Steven Zaillian
Producer(s)
William Horberg, Scott Rudin
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
6 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (45)
It makes for a good old-fashioned inspirational story, absorbing and pointed.
February 13, 2019
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Zaillian proves as much of a prodigy as his chess-playing subject, turning out a film that is a beautifully calibrated model of honestly sentimental filmmaking, made with delicacy, restraint and unmistakable emotional power.
February 13, 2019
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The story he is telling–about parenting, teachers and students, and the nature of competition–is a rich one, and Zaillian tells it with warmth, humor and zest. The cast is first-rate.
May 15, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Earnest and well-acted, Steve Zaillian’s directorial debut explores the price of being a child prodigy while seeking to bring excitement to chess – becoming a kind of cerebral “The Karate Kid.”
March 10, 2011
Brian Lowry
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Pomeranc is wonderfully real and wide-eyed as Josh, with a raspy voice and slight lisp recalling Linus from the Peanuts cartoons.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The mystery of Fischer’s talent and torment adds depth to Searching for Bobby Fischer, about a young New York chess prodigy who doesn’t want his genius to ruin his life.
February 8, 2008
Michael Booth
Denver Post
TOP CRITIC
The fields of math, music, chess, and acting all produce child prodigies. Luckily for us, lead child actor Max Pomeranc can check two prodigy boxes.
August 13, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Jackson
Epoch Times
Newcomer Max Pomeranc is nothing short of brilliant as Josh, handing in one of the best performances by a child actor you could ever hope to see.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Searching for Bobby Fischer is a wonderfully engaging film about a young chess prodigy.
October 9, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
Conrad Hall’s Oscar-nominated photography is as impressive as the acting, with young Max Pomeranc, himself a top-ranking player, upstaging the likes of Joe Mantegna, Laurence Fishburne and Ben Kingsley.
February 13, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
David Parkinson
Radio Times
Zaillian brings Searching for Bobby Fischer to a satisfying ending, but throughout the film he holds us with the finely balanced writing of his screenplay and with his ability to penetrate into the mysteries of chess.
May 15, 2018
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
A film full of love and passion for chess, especially when it gets compare with life in general. [Full review in Spanish]
August 29, 2016
Alberto Abuín
Espinof…
Plot
Josh Waitzkin is just a typical American boy interested in baseball when one day he challenges his father at chess and wins. Showing unusual precocity at the outdoor matches at Washington Square in New York City, he quickly makes friends with a hustler named Vinnie who teaches him speed chess. Josh’s parents hire a renowned chess coach, Bruce, who teaches Josh the usefulness of measured planning. Along the way Josh becomes tired of Bruce’s system and chess in general and purposely throws a match, leaving the prospects of winning a national championship in serious jeopardy.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a young Max Pomeranc in one of the best performances by a child actor.
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