There’s nothing wrong with a good movie that follows the same premise of an already successful movie. That is until the two films come from the same director.”Finding Forrester” was made by “Good Will Hunting” director Gus Van Sant. Starring Sean Connery, “Forrester” is quite similar to its predecessor in the same way that M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” took on a similar formula to his previous film “The Sixth Sense.”But unlike Shyamalan, Van Sant is able to create another immaculate film, even if he is reusing his own formula.”Finding Forrester” tells the story of a 16-year-old Bronx boy named Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown). Jamal is an extraordinary basketball player, but has also been testing off the charts in his school’s equivalency tests.Besides constantly writing in his journal, Jamal never excels in school because he wants to preserve his jock reputation. One day, Jamal’s friends dare him to go up to an apartment that overlooks the basketball courts. In the apartment lives a binocular-sporting mystery man who is said to never leave his place because of all the people he has killed.But when Jamal is caught sneaking around the apartment and scared off, he mistakenly leaves his bag behind and begins to learn this mystery man is no killer at all; He is Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Forrester (Connery).Jamal’s bag reappears the next day, and he finds all his journal writings edited and marked. Intrigued by his new and educated friend, Jamal begins to bring all of his writings to Forrester. Jamal frequently visits Forrester and wins a full-ride basketball scholarship at an expensive private school.As Jamal deals with race issues and jock stereotypes, he begins to form a deep relationship with Forrester, one that involves each character helping the other to face life’s challenges. “Finding Forrester,” moves a bit slow at times, but is an excellent film with a touching story and amazing acting.Connery needs no mention — just saying his name is enough and you’ll know his character kicks ass. Though Forrester shares characteristics from past Connery roles, some of the his emotional breakdowns and reactions are original and worthy of Oscar buzz.Newcomer Brown is an excellent addition and compliment to Connery’s acting. His portrayal of this confused teenager with talents he doesn’t know what to do with is a refreshing performance and will hopefully help pave the way for more young black actors.Another big surprise comes from rapper/actor Busta Rhymes. His articulate acting of a rather sentimental character is definitely a huge step up from his performance in last year’s “Shaft,” where he basically played himself.Luckily for Van Sant, reusing his “Good Will Hunting” formula probably won’t hurt him as much as it could. There are just enough differences with sub-plots and life lessons in the two films.But if Van Sant comes out with anymore struggling young genius meets struggling mentor flicks, it just isn’t going to work.

*** 1/2