In an ordinary place, he found the one person to make his life extraordinary.
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.
Finding Forrester (2000) is a drama and history film directed by Gus Van Sant, released on December 21, 2000 with a runtime of 2h 16m. It stars Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham and Anna Paquin. Viewers rate it 7.1 out of 10 across 1,258 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Finding Forrester before you stream it.
Sean Connery
as William Forrester
Rob Brown
as Jamal Wallace
F. Murray Abraham
as Robert Crawford
Anna Paquin
as Claire Spence
Damany Mathis
as Kenzo
Busta Rhymes
as Terrell Wallace
April Grace
as Ms. Joyce
Michael Pitt
as John Coleridge
Michael Nouri
as Dr. Spence
Richard Easton
as Prof. Matthews
Glenn Fitzgerald
as Massie
Lil' Zane
as Damon
Directed by Gus Van Sant, written by Mike Rich, produced by Sean Connery, Laurence Mark and Rhonda Tollefson.
Average viewer score of 7.1/10 from 1,258 ratings.
"Jamal" (Rob Brown) has something of the "Will Hunting" to him, only without the chip on his shoulder. He's a clever lad from the Bronx but he has little opportunity to develop his education so tends to hang about the basketball court with his pals. They are all aware that from an adjacent building, someone is watching them. They call him the "window" and one night he decides to sneak up the fire escape and visit…
Reviewed on July 20, 2026
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Finding Forrester (2000) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Finding Forrester (2000) includes Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham, Anna Paquin and Damany Mathis. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Finding Forrester was released on December 21, 2000 and runs for 2h 16m.
Finding Forrester (2000) holds an average rating of 7.1 out of 10 from 1,258 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama and history films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Finding Forrester trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
