Friday, July 15, 2011

*61 : WHEN BASEBALL WAS A GAME

There’ve been many movies made about baseball, some of them great, some of them bad. But the one thing that makes the great ones worth watching are the ones that capture the feel of the game, the essence of the ball park and the love that fans have for their heroes. Comedian Billy Crystal turns director for the film *61, a tribute to the game he loved as a child and continues to love, especially the New York Yankees. Not only that, he tells the story of two men swept up in history whether they wanted to be or not: Mickey Mantle and Roger Marris.

The story opens with both men playing for the Yankees and the press wind up about whether or not Mickey will break the record set by Babe Ruth for home runs in one season. The controversy revolves around if it will count or not since the season is now longer than when the Babe played. Toss in a baseball commissioner who was a friend of Ruth’s who actually wants the record to never be broken and it all gets a bit hinky.

The movie revolves around the two teammates and begins in a way that made me think here we go again. It depicts Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane) as a womanizer and near alcoholic (which he was) and kind of dirties the shine for the hero many came to love in a world without the constant paparazzi. But it doesn’t dwell on these facts, merely points them out and then moves forward.

At the same time Mantle is being touted by the press to break the record, new teammate Roger Marris (Barry Pepper) is doing well for himself. He needs a little polish but after being brought together with Mantle by the coach, both men seem to do better. So much so that the chance of the record being broken grows from not just one man breaking the record but two.

The story shows a developing friendship between these two men that gets battered at times by a press that wants to cause controversy when there is none. And Marris’ refusal to play the game and not speak to the press that much just fuels their desire to take him down a notch. The thing is he’s really the shy soft spoken guy he appears to be but they don’t see that in him. And when they twist his words around to make it seem he doesn’t appreciate New Yorkers his troubles only increase. Not only does he have the weight of the world on his shoulders as he tries to break the record, now he has an entire town less than thrilled with him. And all he wants is to do the best he can for his team.

The film moves in a smooth progression of the year both men were up to beat that record, showing them first as fellow teammates and eventually the best of friends. It shows them growing not just with the team but with each other. And it shows how the stress of all they were involved in took its toll on them as well.

But the thing that makes this movie work best is the love that was put into it. You can feel it. While warts and all are on display, the heart of the game is seen here as well. In a world where headlines talk about steroid use and all the sex scandals the press can dig up, it’s nice to see a film that talks about a time when it was the game that was important. Not only that the film captures the innocence of the era from a fans perspective as well. You can tell that Crystal was captivated by his heroes and the whole world of baseball. As I watched this movie I realized that it took me back to the one major league game I went to, all the sights and sounds. I remembered buying the pennant that I had, taking home the miniature bat they handed out as a promotion, the smell of peanuts and popcorn as well as the guys walking down the aisles hawking these items, the hot dog with stadium only brown mustard (or so I thought at the time), the sound of the crack of the bat when it hit the ball, the deep green of the field...all of these memories came back while I watched. And all from one single pro game. Crystal catches all those feelings and emotions and bottles them up to pour out on the screen here.

The story of that fateful year when two men had the chance to beat the home run record makes for an entertaining and thrilling film. If you don’t know the outcome then you’ll sit waiting to see if they make it. If you do know, you’ll enjoy taking that walk down memory lane to the great days of baseball when it was more about the game and less about the perks and salaries of the stars.

The new edition blu-ray looks fantastic. The colors and images are sharper, cleaner and brighter than ever. Included in the special items is a look at the making of the film which includes turning a stadium no where near New York into the house the Babe built. Even some of the players still alive when this was made who Crystal invited to the set were stunned how much it seemed like home. Fans of baseball deserve see this film, maybe even own it. And with this blu-ray edition, they’ll get the best copy they can.

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