Finding Forrester is a remarkable film written by Mike Rich. He portrays how completely different people can come together to help each other and in the end become like family. The plot of this movie has some important moral teachings. “Finding Forrest” is a very special story that tells people that anyone can be a part of your family if you open yourself to others.
“Finding Forrester” opens with a sixteen year old African American boy, Jamal Wallace, waking from his sleep in his bed surrounded by stacks of books, to go play basketball with his friends. While playing basketball they begin to talk about an old man, William Forrester, that lives on the top floor of the building across from the schoolyard and regularly notice him watching them from his window, but they never see his face. One day after school, Jamal’s friends challenge him to sneak into the mysterious man’s apartment and take something. He accepts the challenge and sneaks in through the window of the apartment later that night. Jamal looks around the apartment for something to take to show his friends, while looking around, Jamal set his backpack down and he became mesmerized by all the books that were in the apartment. But his fascination was ended when Forrester yelled at Jamal, scaring the hell out of him and causing him to flee the apartment without his backpack. The next day Jamal approaches a man, who delivers supplies to Forrester in the apartment, driving a BMW and gives him a brief review of the history of BMW, which displays is gifted intellect. After the man leaves, Jamal finds his backpack on the street, which was tossed out of Forrester’s window.
Jamal returned home and opened his backpack to make sure nothing was taken. As he was checking his books, he notices that his journals are covered with literal corrections. Jamal returns to Forrester’s apartment and knocks on the door. Forrester answers and asks what Jamal wants. Jamal responds by saying that he is the person that broke into his apartment yesterday night and then asks him if he could help him on his writing skills. But Forrester gives him a sarcastic response by telling Jamal to write a five thousand word paper on why he should stay out of his apartment. The next day Jamal returns to Forrester’s door with the paper he wrote. Forrester opens the door and lets Jamal to come in. Jamal walks in and he and Forrester began to talk. Jamal mentions to Forrester that he has scored high on his state required testing and have been given a scholarship to Mallor Callow, one of the top private schools. Jamal and Forrester came to an agreement; Forrester would help Jamal on his writing but has to keep it a secret and no writing leaves the apartment. From this point on Jamal and Forrester will grow closer and closer as the film progresses.
Toward the end of “Finding Forrester” Jamal and Forrester have become more than just friends, but became family. They have helped each other through there difficulties and have formed a family bond. Forrester helped Jamal become a phenomenal writer teaching him everything he knows in literacy. In return Jamal has helped Forrester overcome the blame that he has put on himself due to his brother’s death. Because of the guiltiness that Forrester feels, he has remained inside his apartment and hasn’t been outside for a long time. But Jamal has convinced Forrester to leave his apartment on his birthday. One of the places Jamal took Forrester was on the pitching mound in Yankee Stadium, which his brother helped them in. There on the pitching mound, Forrester opened up to Jamal about his feelings. Later in the day Forrester told Jamal that he enjoyed himself. Later in the story, Forrester helped Jamal prove that his story he entered in a writing contest was not plagiarized and that he wrote the story from his heart. At the end of the story, Forrester thanks Jamal for helping him find himself and then rides his bike into the crowded city street. This is a stunning part of the film to see someone who was afraid to leave his home at the beginning and in the end riding his bike through the streets of one of the busiest cities in the world.
At the end of the movie, Jamal meets Forrester’s lawyer to discuss some important matters. The lawyer gave Jamal terrible news; he told him that Forrester died of cancer. Jamal was given everything of Forrester’s. But the most special thing that Forrester gave Jamal in his will was the forward in his final novel. To give someone a forward is an extraordinary honor. It shows that Jamal has had a very special impact on Forrester’s life. They are more than friends but an important member of each other’s lives.