Friday, July 11, 2008
61*
Director Billy Crystal guarantees success for his movie in the perfect casting of the leads. Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan's religious sniper) is deft as Maris, and Thomas Jane is a perfect Mantle, a superman in a Yankee uniform. Despite the differences between family man Maris and hard-living Mantle, they form a rewarding friendship amid the media and fan frenzy. The shy Maris took the brunt of the storm, even facing boo-birds in his home stadium. Crystal and first-time writer Hank Steinberg keep the pace moving quickly between the field, the locker room, the press box, and the home front. The film never tries to dazzle with more than the facts (and it softens Mantle up a bit), yet it belongs on the short list of grand baseball movies. --Doug Thomas
Customer Review: Roger Marris should be in the Hall of Fame!
This DVD is another great baseball movie. It highlights a number of reasons why the Home Run King for over 60 years should be in the Hall of Fame regadless of other things he did or didn't do. He is the link to the record and with a steroids era, maybe he still is the Home Run King! Think about it and enjoy the story!
Customer Review: Great Baseball Movie
I'm not even a huge baseball fan, but I enjoyed this movie very much. All of my Yankee friends love this true-story-based movie, though not many ever heard about it before they watched it. Definitely a quality hour or so to spend in front of the TV.