Review of 61* (2001) by Tim O — 19 Jul 2010
A greatly assembled ensemble cast that really captures the craziness of the 1961 home run chase, the absurdity of the asterisk idea, and the media crush that overwhelmed a simple man from a simple place.
Everyone was rooting against him, and the media was manipulating things to its own selfish ends. In the 1998 home run chase, things were considerably different, with Sosa and McGwire embracing the spotlight and defusing the possibility of a repeat of Maris' situation, even though McGwire initially bristled.
It is impossible to feel anything but empathy for what he had to go through, and Barry Pepper's performance conveys this, and he brings out the true soul of Roger Maris, a real life tragic icon of baseball for how poorly he was treated by so many, and his unfortunately short life.
Billy Crystal puts together a remarkable baseball piece, and tells the great human story.
This review of 61* (2001) was written by Tim O on 19 Jul 2010.
61* has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
