Tobey Maguire nails chess legend Bobby Fischer in ‘Pawn Sacrifice’
By Lou Lumenick
September 8, 2014 | 6:58pm
It’s sort of amazing that it’s taken so long for Hollywood to get around to dramatizing a fascinatingly bizarre event that riveted the world’s attention in 1972 between the Watergate break-in and the Munich Olympics massacre — the world chess championship match between Bobby Fischer and Russian Boris Spassky held in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Tobey Maguire does a great job as Fischer in “Pawn Sacrifice,’’ a biopic that covers the wacko chess genius’ life from a budding chess prodigy to the historic match with less eccentric Spassky (a terrific Liev Schreiber). The match was halted several times as Fischer demanded more money and a change of venue to a pingpong room.
Edward Zwick’s film — which is seeking US distribution after its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend — blames Fischer’s paranoia, anti-Semitism and general craziness on his unconventional upbringing by a communist (and Jewish) single mother.
Though famed for his unorthodox style, Brooklyn-raised Fischer drops out of competitive play until a chess-loving lawyer (Michael Stuhlbarg) offers to serve as his manager for free so they can challenge Russian dominance of the game.
Full article here.
Genius.
I’m sorry, but the thought of Tobey Maguire playing Fischer just bothers the hell out of me. Liev Schreiber as Spassky was a great choice, but Maguire as Fischer? Why not go the extra mile and have Miley Cyrus play him? At least pick someone taller than Yoda, please.
Fischer towered over Spassky, not the other way around, and Fischer’s physically imposing presence was part of the story, too. Maguire couldn’t scare a kitten if he were holding a meat cleaver.
Maguire’s schtick is ruining superhero movies. Let him keep doing that and get someone who actually fits the bill as Fischer.
You’re right – Maguire just doesn’t hack it!
I think a magazine mentioned that Maguire was putting his own money into the production…so, $$$ talks.
A much better choice for Fischer would be have been Jake Gyllenhaal. IMO, he looks more like Fischer, he’s more “threatening” and he’s a better actor.