Review of Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004) by Manny C — 17 Mar 2011
Golf never really makes for a compellnig movie subject, barring Tin Cup and maybe Caddyshack, if that counts. Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius shows why. How much fun could be generated from watching Jim Caviezel win golf tournaments as Bobby Jones? The movie is basically as flat as a tortilla, with only mildly interesting elements that just serve as cruel suggestions of what a great movie Bobby Jones' story could have been.
In 1930 alone Jones won the U.S. Amateur, the U.S. Open. the British Amateur and The British Open--and it's still an unmatched achievement. Director Rowdy Herrington keeps things lively during Jones' scenes with sportswriter O.
B. Keeler (Malcolm McDowell) and his main golf rival Walter Hagen (Jeremy Northam, the movie's most interesting character). Jones himself retired at the age of twenty-eight and never went pro, and Caviezal does a rather swell job of making sure we see any shred of real human nuance in this subject who is treated pretty much like a saint in the Jones family-approved screenplay.
Little effort is made to explore any of Jones' real-life complications, save for the pain he endured from a spinal disorder taht led him to quit golf. The end result is tv movie goo.
This review of Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004) was written by Manny C on 17 Mar 2011.
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius has generally received mixed reviews.
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