My Favourite Movie: Shawn Levy and 'Searching for Bobby Fischer'

For director Shawn Levy, the film playing heavy on his mind at the moment - and one he nominated as his favourite to Digital Spy - is "a semi-obscure movie called Searching for Bobby Fischer".

Bobby Fischer's central relationship is between a father and son played by Max Pomeranc and Joe Mantegna, a theme that draws a clear parallel to the Hugh Jackman/Dakota Goya dynamic in Levy's new futuristic sports blockbuster Real Steel.

Levy says of his favourite pick: "It's a movie about a chess prodigy that is really about a father and son. I think it comes to mind as you ask me today because similarly Real Steel is a movie with robot boxing that is really about a father and son."

The 1993 movie boasted a strong supporting cast with Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne all on hand to surround Pomeranc's chess talent Joshua Waitzkin. It was the book by Joshua's father Fred Waitzkin (played by Mantegna in the film) that prompted screenwriter Steven Zallian to step behind the camera for the first time.



Zallian would go on to bag an Oscar for Schindler's List in the year of Bobby Fischer's release, overshadowing his filmmaking debut somewhat.

Night at the Museum director Levy, however, believes that Zallian's little-seen drama is well worth spending time with.

"Both Zallian and Frank Darabont, whose first movie was The Shawshank Redemption, another one of my top ten, those are two near-perfect movies and I would argue possibly the two best first features of any first-time director," he said.

Levy adds that the movie's success is down to the appeal of Josh and Fred, saying: "I don't know or care at all about chess, but what I love is seeing a character get redeemed and that movie is really about a father and son alienated from each other who end up coming together."

> Shawn Levy Real Steel interview

Watch the Searching for Bobby Fischer trailer below:



Previous 'My Favourite Movie' features:
> Sam Claflin and The Goonies
> Freddie Highmore and Cinema Paradiso

Real Steel is released in cinemas tomorrow (October 14).