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Bobby Fischer, Gary Kasparov, Susan Polgar, Sam Sloan, Anthony Saidy ... see more see more... , David Edmonds , Malcolm Gladwell , Dick Cavett , Paul Marshall , Harry Benson , Boris Spassky , Henry Kissinger , Larry Evans , Shelby Lyman , Russell Targ , Saemi Palsson , Gundmundur Thorarinsson , Lothar Schmid , David Shenk

Considered by many to be the greatest chess player to ever live, Bobby Fischer Against the World is the first and definitive documentary biography of the eccentric genius who rose from humble beginnin... read more read more...gs and captivated a world audience with his victory over Russia's Boris Spassky at the height of the Cold War. His trajectory propelled him from child prodigy to US champion at age 15 and world champion at 29. Quixotically refusing to defend his championship, Fischer became a virtual recluse for decades before resurfacing for a bizarre final chapter as a fugitive from US justice. Rare archival footage and insightful interviews with those closest to him expand this captivating story of a mastermind's tumultuous rise -- and fall. --(c)Music Box Films

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84% liked it

1,344 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

45 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Liz Garbus

Release Date: September 9, 2011

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DVD Release Date: December 5, 2011

Stats: 95 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (95)

  • jackamaku
    September 19, 2011
    jackamaku
    Fascinating doc. Lots of great footage of Fischer going back to when he was 15 years old.
  • VicksFlicks
    November 11, 2011
    VicksFlicks
    Bobby Fischer is arguably the greatest chess player of all time. Even if you do not play chess, you know his name and his accomplishments. However, who exactly is the man who sits in front of the chess board? Director Liz Garbus tackles that subject and shines a light not only on... read more his professional life, but a brighter one on his personal life. Bobby Fischer Against the World tells about one fascinating man who had a gift for playing the complex game of chess. Ever since he was a boy, he loved the game and it is undoubtedly safe to say he became obsessed with it. But with his genius, he paid a heavy price in the other areas of his life. Bobby Fischer thought the world was against him, but come to find out, it was him against himself the entire time.

    Fischer had a troubled childhood and the game of chess saved his life. It gave him something he could really apply himself to and it certainly paid off. At the age of 15, he became the U.S. Champion and became World Champion when he was just 29 years-old after defeating Boris Spassky during the height of the Cold War. After that, Fischer was seen as a hero by everyone because he was the American who beat the Russian. And the best part is finding out what occurred before and during the matchup. The realization of the destruction Fischer causes within himself while battling with his own demons starts to sink in and show its ugly face.

    After he becomes the Michael Phelps of his time, Fischer takes a hiatus from chess and refuses to defend his championship. It isn't until almost 20 years later when he decides to resurface and play Spassky in a rematch set in Yugoslavia. Not only did this get him in to trouble with international law and make him a fugitive, but it was just a sad sight to see. It was clear he had fallen from grace.

    This documentary shows the young rise and tragic fall of a chess prodigy. Fischer suffered from a mental illness and it becomes quite clear by the end of the film. And while this illness made him exceptionally gifted in chess, it ruined everything else and turned him in to a paranoid schizophrenic. The game he loved came with a side of madness. Bobby Fischer Against the World is a mesmerizing and disturbing story about a troubled man who had unimaginable success at such a young age and then went on a downward spiral. And the most tragic part is seeing the pain and anguish that Fischer brings upon himself. It hurts to watch but you are unable to turn away.

    The doc fascinates while being tough to watch, especially seeing what becomes of the man who was once hailed as a hero. But Garbus wants you to see Fischer for better or worse, and there is plenty of both. And there are more than a few times where Fischer is not a likable guy and you almost wish he would lose so he would be put in his place. Yet the more the film uncovers about him and the suffering he puts himself through, you pity the man instead of hating him.

    Fischer was one of a kind and while his life is an incredibly crazy one, it doesn't erase what he has accomplished. What Tiger Woods did for golf, Fischer did for chess. No one can take that away from him. Why no one has made a documentary about him until now I will never know, but I am glad Garbus made it happen. If ever there was story worth telling and a life worth sharing, it's Fischer's.

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Critic Reviews

Gary Goldstein
September 22, 2011
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

A once-in-a-lifetime character makes for a fascinating documentary subject in producer-director Liz Garbus' "Bobby Fischer Against the World." Full Review

Peter Rainer
September 16, 2011
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

Liz Garbus's documentary about the great American chess champion Bobby Fischer does its level best to avoid the easy cliché equating madness and genius, except that, in the case of Fischer, the cliché... Full Review

A.O. Scott
September 8, 2011
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Tactfully but strongly posits a connection between the genius he brought to an infinitely complex game and the madness that defined his relationship to just about everything else. Full Review

J. Hoberman
September 6, 2011
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Garbus handles this decline with tact. The sorry spectacle of the ranting codger never effaces the image of the boy concentrating his entire being over a chessboard. You have to love that kid and pity... Full Review

Rick Groen
May 27, 2011
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

The real battle pitted Bobby Fischer against Bobby Fischer, and this documentary is a revealing account of the many skirmishes in that enduring civil war. Full Review

Peter Howell
May 27, 2011
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

How did Fischer rise so high and then tumble so far? Garbus doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but she shines light into dark corners. Full Review

Dennis Harvey
January 27, 2011
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Assembly is brisk and high-grade, allowing for the variable quality of archival materials. Full Review

James Greenberg
January 27, 2011
James Greenberg, Hollywood Reporter

Another quality picture for HBO Documentaries. Full Review

Christopher Long
February 3, 2012
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis

An affective portrait of an intense, obsessed man and a tense, twisty, and occasionally inspiring narrative surrounding the Fischer-Spassky match. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
January 2, 2012
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Absorbing documentary biopic on the former world chess champion Bobby Fischer. Full Review

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