Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, and Will Smith

Also starring is the always-charming Charlize Theron as Adele Invergordon, the sweetheart Junuh deserted when he came back from the "War to End All Wars." To further complicate matters, while Rannulph was away, Adele's father John (Harve Presnell) opened Krewe Island Golf Resort, an opulent world-class golf course, moments before the stock market crash of 1929 brought the roaring twenties to a grinding halt. With the Invergordon family fortune spent on lushly sculpted fairways and manicured putting greens, Mr. Invergordon puts a pistol to his head, leaving daughter Adele to deal with the consequences of his financial folly and the wrath of his business partners. Invergordon's so-called friends, a pompous lot who put the "ass" in "associates," quickly descend to pry Krewe Island from Adele's ladylike fingers, hoping to turn her misfortune into their good fortune. In a most ungentlemanly manner, they urge her to sell them her daddy's putting green of dreams for ten percent of its real value. Adele gets pretty teed off at this point and with Scarlet O'Hara-like resolve, she vows to hold onto Krewe Island, if only for spite.

In attempt to retain the resort, Adele decides to host a challenge match between the two biggest names of 1930's golf: Walter Hagan (Bruce McGill), a cigar smoking larger-than-life Babe Ruth type, and Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch), a legendary ace who is about to quit the game to pursue his legal practice. The resulting publicity she feels is sure to establish her father's golf course as one the premiere resorts for whatever is remaining of American high society. But the city counsel, made up mostly of the peanut heads who want to take away Krewe Island from Adele, will only agree to the tournament if a player from Savannah competes also. Rannulph Junuh, who's barely got a grip on reality, much less a golf club, is chosen for the job, mainly because the only other decent golfers in town are either too old or too drunk. Junuh apparently is just young and sober enough to make the cut. Lucky Savannah.

Can the cajoling zingers and cryptic Zen strategies of golf-caddy Bagger Vance help Rannulph find his lost swing? If so, will Junuh's former amour Adele forgive him for fourteen years of desertion and can they find happiness after such a long break? Finally, will the film's kindly old narrator who's trying so damned hard to give Bagger Vance a Thornton Wilder-ish "Our Town" appeal just clam up so we can get this over with? Well, yes, yes and no.

With the picture's plot finally set up, the three-day 72-hole tournament begins. Bagger Vance quaintly quips and coaches like a Buddhist in the bunker, teaching Junuh to let go of the past, embrace the future and always wear matching golf shoes. Bagger subtly nudges Junuh back toward enlightenment and a lighter swing that just might bring him from twelve strokes back, into the winners circle and Adele's awaiting charms. The key for Rannulph is to get out of his own way and allow his "one true swing" to do its work. The key for the audience is to drink a pot of Irish coffee beforehand in order to stay awake and endure Bagger Vance's relentless life's lessons and lemonade sweetness.

As golf movies go, clearly this isn't Caddyshack. By the second reel of Bagger Vance, all but the sappiest crowds will be ready for some raunchy relief from its Disney-like aura of innocent Americana. On the plus side, the movie is admirably acted (Smith, Damon and Theron are as likeable as ever). It's also sumptuously produced and boasts ambitious camera work that tracks long drives from the ball's viewpoint: a technique first seen in golf's other guide to slapstick spirituality, Happy Gilmore. But for my box-office green fee, Caddyshack is still the golf movie to beat. It teaches much the same philosophy as Bagger Vance. Substitute "Be the ball, Danny" for "One true swing, Rannulph" and you've learned the same lesson in half the time, with more laughs and less pretension. Don't believe me? Fine, go see Bagger Vance for yourself, but don't say you weren't "fore" warned!