It is just after his seventh birthday and Josh encounters chess players in the park for the first time by chance. When his mother (Allen) takes him back to the park to watch the speed chess players, she discovers that some how, Josh has picked up the game without tuition. That he is good at the game comes to the astonishment of his parents, especially his sports writer father (Mantegna). They encourage their son while allowing him to play in the park, where he meets and befriends a hustler named Vinnie (Fishburne). His parents eventually seek to hire a teacher for him. Bruce Pandolfini (Kingsley), a struggling chess coach, is found and hired. His methods run counter to Josh's personality. Josh is constantly shown to be a sensitive and caring boy, fearful of beating his father at chess and concerned for the feelings of the baseball pitcher on the team his little league team hs just trounced. Pandolfini wants to make him harder and more competitive, Josh balks. The issue comes to a head and the parents must decide at what price they should continue to develop Josh's chess-playing abilities.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
The review of this Movie prepared by ldpaulson