Summary
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.
Good for
- Date night
- Family movie night
- Friends night
Where to watch
Fingerprint
At a glance
Critics vs audiences
Audiences a little warmer than critics (+5)
Critics 68Audiences 73GoodWatch 70
Tomatometer74%
Metascore62
Audience score79%
IMDb7.3
Letterboxd · 49 K ratings3.6/5
User score6.9
Box office
1.9×its budget
- Budget
- $43 M
- Worldwide
- $80 M
Worldwide it earned $37 M more than it cost.
Running time
2 h 16 min
Longer than most dramas, +27 min on the typical 109
typical 109136Half of all dramas run 98–125 min.
Reach
Streams in 132 countries, rent or buy in 2 more
+122Released
2000
December 21, 2000
26 years ago
Genres
DramaHistoryLanguage
English
Original language
Made in
United States
Rated
- PG-13United States
Yes: it's rated PG-13 in the United States, and the viewing guide lists it for family nights.
What's in it
- ViolenceMild
- Gore, disturbing imagesLittle or none
- Frightening scenesLittle or none
- Sex, nudityLittle or none
- Dark themesMild
Levels from the title analysis.
Viewing guide
AdultsDate NightFamily Movie NightFriends NightIntergenerationalPartner WatchPublic Viewing SafeSolo WatchTeensComfort WatchDrop-in FriendlyPure EscapismThought-ProvokingNot listed for kids.
and 18 more49 people
- Sean ConneryWilliam Forrester
- Rob BrownJamal Wallace
- F. Murray AbrahamRobert Crawford
- Anna PaquinClaire Spence
- Damany MathisKenzo
- Busta RhymesTerrell Wallace
- April GraceMs. Joyce
- Michael PittJohn Coleridge
Michael NouriDr. Spence
Richard EastonProf. Matthews
Glenn FitzgeraldMassie
Lil' ZaneDamon
Stephanie BerryJanice
Fly Williams IIIFly- DLDamion LeeClay
- TKTom KearnsCoach Garrick
- MNMatthew Noah WordHartwell
- CBCharles BernsteinDr. Simon
Matt MalloyBradley
Matt DamonSteven Sanderson- JBJimmy BobbitRapper
- CJCapital JayOpposing Player
Jim TitusStudent- CKCassandra KubinskiClaire's Friend
Directing · 2
- Gus Van Sant Director
- David Webb First Assistant Director
Writing · 1
- Mike Rich Writer
Production · 8
- Dany Wolf Executive Producer
- Jonathan King Executive Producer
- Sean Connery Producer
- Laurence Mark Producer
- Rhonda Tollefson Producer
- Francine Maisler Casting
Camera · 1
- Harris Savides Director of Photography
Editing · 1
- Valdís Óskarsdóttir Editor
Sound · 6
- Bill Brown Original Music Composer
- Bill Frisell Original Music Composer
- Kelley Baker Supervising Sound Editor
- Richard Moore Sound Effects Editor
- Patrick Winters Sound Effects Editor
- Michael 'Gonzo' Gandsey Sound Effects Editor
Art · 6
- Jane Musky Production Design
- Carolyn A. Loucks Set Decoration
- Susan Bode Tyson Set Decoration
- Lynn Tonnessen Set Decoration
- Robert Guerra Art Direction
- Darrell K. Keister Art Direction
Costume & Make-Up · 1
- Ann Roth Costume Design
Visual Effects · 1
- Bob Munroe Visual Effects Supervisor
Other crew · 1
- G.A. Aguilar Stunt Coordinator
Tropes
More like this
Similar
Most like Finding Forrester overall
Nearest on the related map: closest in everything it does to you, not one trait
- Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
GoodWatch score 89 - Terri (2011)
GoodWatch score 72 - Inside I'm Dancing (2004)
GoodWatch score 66 - The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
GoodWatch score 72 - Tomboy (2011)
GoodWatch score 81 - Impossible Things (2021)
GoodWatch score 79 - The Hedgehog (2009)
GoodWatch score 76 - The Mighty (1998)
GoodWatch score 73 - Being 17 (2016)
GoodWatch score 80 - Elling (2001)
GoodWatch score 68 - The Man Without a Face (1993)
GoodWatch score 66 - Junebug (2005)
GoodWatch score 76 - Trust (1990)
GoodWatch score 76 - Rocket Science (2007)
GoodWatch score 73 - Sandeep Bhaiya (2023)
GoodWatch score 83 - Aspirants (2021)
GoodWatch score 84
Same genre
More drama movies
- Arrival (2016)
GoodWatch score 80 - The Green Mile (1999)
GoodWatch score 73 - Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
GoodWatch score 78 - Rocky (1976)
GoodWatch score 76 - Bird Box (2018)
GoodWatch score 57 - Before Sunset (2004)
GoodWatch score 87 - Citizen Kane (1941)
GoodWatch score 91 - Captain Phillips (2013)
GoodWatch score 79