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By Popcorn Avenger It has been sometime since we have seen a baseball film with a compelling story and multidimensional characters. 61*, directed by comedian and lifetime NY Yankee fan Billy Crystal, hits a home run, if I can borrow an overused cliché. This film retells of the 1961 race to break Babe Ruth’s homerun record. The two principle characters Roger Maris and Micky Mantle (portrayed with eerie precision by Thomas Jane and Barry Pepper) are both teammates for the NY Yankees and both threaten to break the Babe’s record. However, these guys have more to worry about than a record as the sports media pits the two friends against each other. The film covers the strains and strengths of what came to be known as the M&M (Mantle and Maris) Corporation. Only a filmmaker with a love and passion for baseball could explore this unique relationship. And only a true baseball historian can examine the media’s bias and demonization of the man who would best the Babe, Roger Maris. 61* is not only a great sports film, but it is also a great film about friendship and the pressure of doing the right thing when it feels like the world might be against you.   Back to Video/DVD Index |
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