61*
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Movie Reviews of 61*
Movie Review: Great for Baseball Fans
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is part drama part documentary. I enjoyed learning about how Maris broke Ruth's single season home run record in 1961. The attention to detail in the movie was spectacular.Roger Maris was a quiet hard-working ball player from North Dakota. He was a family man who never sought the spotlight, but was right in the middle of it in 1961. All in all, he didn't handle it well. Not many of us would have.
Mickey Mantle was comfortable in the spotlight. He wanted to break Ruth's record and had a shot at it for much of 1961. Injuries plagued him that year, as they did for much of his career with the Yankees.
This story, at its heart, is about the realationship of these two men. The press portrayed them as competitors, but on a basic level they were teammates trying to win ball games. I was especially impressed by the character of Mantle. He rooted for Maris from a hospital bed on the last day of the season, when Maris broke the record. Mantle was a very flawed, yet he was hard not to like. Marris was harder to like, but easier to admire. He had a strength of character that not many men would display in a similar setting.
The DVD also contains a feature on how this film was made that is well worth watching. Billy Crystal put this film together with painstaking detail. He was 13 in 1961, lived in New York, and attended Yankees games. This movie was a labor of love for him, and it shows.
This is a must-see for Yankee fans, and a great movie for any baseball fan to see.
Movie Review: Out of the Park!
Summary: 5 Stars
HBO has turned out some very well acted, written, directed and produced series and original movies and this one proves the folks over there know what they are doing. 61* tells the real life baseball tale of the 1961 New York Yankees, then considered the creme de la creme of baseball. Roger Maris, newly acquired from Kansas City, has to compete with the people of New York's love affair with the gone but not forgotten Babe Ruth and the larger than life Mickey Mantle, while powering his way toward the homerun record - - with the New York fans booing him along the way and the Commissioner of Baseball determined that he not succeed. 61* deals with not only the action on the field (which is exciting to watch) but also with the tension and stress that Maris and Mantle both suffer off the field. The performances in this film are absolute perfection. I will admit that I am a Barry Pepper fan and cannot think of a bad performance he has turned in, but you would think he was born to play the part of Roger Maris. Pepper conveys in his facial expressions alone, the stress, the anger, the sadness he feels, and the love for his family. Thomas Jane as Mickey Mantle makes you feel his demons and the tremendous pressure those players of old were under. The ending is sad, bittersweet and yet somehow fitting. If you are a baseball fan, you will delight in the tale and won't want to miss this. If you enjoy a well-done film, with stellar acting performances and a well-written script, pick this one up!Movie Review: 61* is a home run!
Summary: 5 Stars
Since I grew up in Fargo, NoDak, of COURSE I knew about Roger Maris and his '61 in 1961' legend. In fact, one of my relatives used to help volunteer at the annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament, which raises money for Shanley High School (Roger's alma mater) and the Roger Maris Cancer Center. So I was really looking forward to seeing the film, 61*, when it appeared on HBO this spring. I was not disappointed!Even if you aren't a baseball fan, you will really love this film. It's a story about friendship, about persevering in spite of everything, and how perceptions can be made (or broken) by the media. If you love baseball, I think you will LOVE this story. It has everything. I think Billy Crystal spun some magic here to make this story come to life. If you can, get the DVD version when this movie comes out, because the "Making of" featurette is wonderful. Billy shows how they took Tiger Stadium in Detroit and made it into the Yankees Stadium of old. Barry Pepper and Thomas Jane are absolutely fantastic as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. The rest of the cast are splendid, too.
I can't keep from saying more nice things about this film. I am anxiously awaiting its release to DVD. I definitely want to own a copy of this, along with the special features.
Now if the Hall of Fame would just find it in their collective hearts to induct Roger Maris, I would be a happy fan.
Movie Review: Super movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Even if you are not a Yankee fan, this is a great movie that you need to check out. This movie takes a honest stab at the 1961 baseball season, when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle were both shooting for the Babe's single season home run record. Billy Crystal really did an excellent job in the making of this movie. If you watch the "making of" feature on the DVD, you can find out just how much effort went in to creating the look and feel of this movie from obvious things like recreating '61 Yankee Stadium to the way that Mantle would walk from the dugout to the plate.This movie is Unrated, and has content that might not be suitable for youngsters. But just because you don't want your 7-year-old kid to see it doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it. Put it on the shelf and show it to him when he is old enough. Billy Crystal attempted to portray the two main characters - Mantle and Maris - as honestly as he could, even if that meant showing Mantle boozing it up after a game or some of the players saying the f-word. Sorry, but that's how it is in real life, and that's what made this movie as great as it is. Don't let the fact that this is an HBO original scare you away - this is probably one of the best movies I have seen in a while. Plus this DVD is a bargain when you compare its price to others. See it if you haven't already!!
Movie Review: An engaging look at a major piece of baseball history
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had *61 in my collection for a year or so now, and no matter how many times I watch it I still have a hard time holding back cheers when Maris hits the magic 61st. This was an engaging (and accurate from what I can tell) look at an important season in baseball history. I am not a Yankee fan (I actually despise the Yankees)and the disappointing thing about the Maris story is how he was treated at times by Yankee fans and the media and even the Yankee front office and the comissioner. This movie gives us a glimpse of Yankee fans at their best (willing the injured and basically one-armed Mantle to hit a home run and finally giving Maris the cheers he deserves at the end) and worst (their treatment of Maris through most of the season). These aspects are brought to light with emotion and clarity. The story is great, as is the music and the overall filming. No film is wasted; there is a purpose behind every scene in the movie. Billy Crystal does a great job. There is some foul language so parents might want to me careful when their kids watch this one. I do disagree with a few viewers who said that it takes away from the movie; I don't think it does.
I would recommend that any baseball fan give this movie at least one "at bat." I don't think most will be disappointed.