Bobby Fischer Against The World (2011)

87% of critics liked it
(45 reviews)
84% of users liked it
(1,345 ratings)

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 beginnings and captivated a world audience with his victory over Russia's Boris Spassky at the height of the… More 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 beginnings 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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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Liz Garbus
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Special Interest

In Theaters: Sep 9, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Dec 5, 2011
Studio: Music Box Films

Critic Reviews

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."
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 apparently holds up.
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.
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 him.
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.
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.
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.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Absorbing documentary biopic on the former world chess champion Bobby Fischer.
Brent Simon, Shockya.com
Tackles the iconoclastic nature of its subject both personally and professionally, making a persuasive, emotionally involving case for the dark, troubled flipside of genius.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
A gripping film about a subject almost too good to be true.
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com
at once the director's most accomplished and entrancing film to date
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
Supplies a cracked, conflicted genius trapped in his ceaseless endgame.
Arthur Ryel-Lindsey, Slant Magazine
This is strong and effective documentary filmmaking, but it's only a lengthy prologue to the story on which Liz Garbus clearly wants to focus.
Simon Miraudo, Quickflix
Garbus tells his story with aplomb, placing it in the greater context of the Cold War, and also examining the human toll and anguish Fischer brought upon himself.
Thomas Caldwell, Cinema Autopsy
What sets this film aside from being a conventional biographical account of Fischer's life and career, is when it examines the nature of genius and why Fischer was so unpredictable, erratic and eventually intensely paranoid.
Graham Young, Birmingham Mail
This is an utterly compelling insight into modern history, psychology, international politics and boardgame warfare.
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
Garbus's portrait of Fischer as a lonely child and a monomaniacal young chess player becomes a portrait of his times as well...
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
The film may stick to the standard rise-and-fall story arc, but it does pull together a lot of fascinating archival material.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
[A] fascinating but rather low-key documentary...
Anthony Quinn, Independent
It's a sad story of genius paying for the gift.