Watch Knights of the South Bronx For Free

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Am I Missing Something?

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Nine out of ten times an unashamedly sentimental feel-good film like this will have me in a photo finish reaching for the sick-bag and remote simultaneously but somehow this one kept me watching. Why? Good question. There's nothing here we haven't seen before on a fairly regular basis and there's only one familiar actor. Ted Danson here is light-years away from his breakthrough role in 'Cheers' and shows he can do quietly understated with the best of them. In retrospect it seems a little hard to believe that a group of kids from a deprived area in the Bronx could become hooked virtually overnight on chess but apparently the movie is based on a true story so who am I to argue. What can I tell you, I enjoyed it, I was moved and enriched. Sue me.

The genre of "inspired and unusual teachers who impact the lives of their students" goes back at least to "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939) and perhaps farther than that. Many of us still remember our reactions to "To Sir, With Love" (1967) and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969). The present effort, based on the founding of "Chess in the Schools" by David MacEnulty, doesn't rank with these "greats," but it's a respectable sentiment piece and makes up for its formulaic plot to some extent with notably excellent acting. I think Ted Danson is generally underrated, and his performance here is skillful and convincing. I don't know what the real-life MacEnulty was like, but I can imagine him being just about like Danson's portrayal. The five young people who constitute the "Knights" chess team are the heart of this movie, and all are serious actors, though a bit long-in-the-tooth to be in the fourth grade. One gets so accustomed to that misrepresentation, especially in American films, that it goes almost unnoticed. If you watch enough movies, you start to wonder why the real kids you know are so LITTLE! Anyway, this is a not-bad film with a good story to tell, and it won't give anybody nightmares.

Knights of the South Bronx is based on the story of David MacEnulty, one of the first coaches in New York City's Chess-in-the-Schools program. Ted Danson plays the MacEnulty character, named Richard Mason in the movie.Danson's character, a fired corporate whistle-blower, takes a job as a substitute teacher in an elementary school in an economically depressed neighborhood. A chess expert, he finds that is the one way he can bond with his class and get them to learn.A motivated teacher can change the world, and it seems some of the best have come from corporate backgrounds and have made teaching a second career. Jaime Escalante of Stand and Deliver fame was a Silicon Valley executive before finding his true calling teaching math to inner-city youths. Danson is believable and as always, likable as Mason/MacEnulty. The four children with the biggest roles are charmers. Keke Palmer, a 12-year-old beauty who made a big impression playing opposite William H. Macy in The Wool Cap is every bit as impressive as Kenya Russell, a girl who refuses to let her crack head mother destroy her future. Malcolm David Kelley is Jimmy Washington, a kid who refuses to be daunted or cowed by beatings administered by the local gang toughs. Yucini Diaz is Renee Soto, who has the job of looking after her kindergärtner brother, Dawson, who turns out to be the true chess prodigy. The exuberant Dawson is played to perfection by Antonio Ortiz.Many of MacEnulty's original students are now in college because chess broadened their horizons beyond the South Bronx. MacEnulty himself has become a successful author of chess books for kids.While the movie is predictable and formulaic, the story is real. You could do a lot worse things with two hours than watch Knights of the South Bronx. 7/10

Don't know if what I am writing is a spoiler or not, but just in case...here goes!! Saw this movie tonight on A&E. At first wasn't sure if I was interested with lightweight actor - Ted Danson. I mean what has he done lately? I was more than pleasantly surprised and very happy that I watched this movie. I think that the premise of this story - even though the use of fictitious characters were used, the fact that there really is a teacher of this caliber that took the time with young kids in situations that could take them down the wrong road - well it strengthened my belief in human nature once again! I even think Danson's decision to go naturally with the silver-white hair added to the believability of the character...I think my favorite scene was when Jimmy went to visit his dad. Father and son relating on an equal playing field of a chess board where the dad teaches his son a life lesson. What a powerful statement.Anyway, A&E played it back to back tonight and I couldn't help but watch it twice.Excellent choice for family viewing. We need more movies like this that emphasize that even those in dire straits can find a lifeline if they just stop and think before flailing in knee-deep water.I applaud teacher David MacEnulty for teaching us all a lesson in life!