Bobby Jones - Stroke Of Genius Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)April 29th, 2004
BOBBY JONES, STROKE OF GENIUS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
BOBBY JONES, STROKE OF GENIUS is a great sports movie and an inspirational family film about an American legend, Bobby Jones, who took the meaning of the word "amateur" back to its roots -- the love of the game. A part-time golfer and full-time student, he wanted to win all of the major tournaments without turning pro or even earning a dime off of his skills, and then he wanted to retire. All of which he did, becoming the first person to win what was then known as the Grand Slam of Golf. Contrast his dedication to his sport with today's young athletes who'd be happy to turn pro out right out of high school if they were offered enough money.
The film is by Rowdy Herrington -- the director of GLADIATOR. No, not that GLADIATOR but the 1992 boxing movie starring a pre-Oscar Cuba Gooding Jr. Herrington may not have the credentials of an A-list director, but the film's star is certainly an up-and-coming actor. After playing someone worshiped as divine in the year's most popular movie, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, this time James Caviezel plays someone who is worshiped for his divine game of golf. Caviezel's Jones is a very human hero who suffers from some serious health problems and who smokes and drinks quite a bit. He also has such a fiery temper that the younger Jones (Devon Gearhart plays him as a little kid, and Thomas Lewis as a teenager) is said to have "the face of an angel and the temper of a timber wolf." A very polite and instantly likeable Southerner, he is the toast of his small Georgia hometown before he is acclaimed around the world as golf's very best. The story starts at the peak of his career in 1936 in St. Andrews, Scotland and then flashes back to his childhood as a sickly but persistent kid who follows golfers around like a loyal puppy.
Rowdy Herrington and Bill Pryor's script takes the risky approach of making Jones's story into an epic tale filled with numerous other characters, including Jones's fellow golfers and his extended family and friends. The best of the other characters is Jeremy Northam, who gives a deliciously wicked performance as Walter Hagen, a.k.a. "Sir Walter," golf's most notorious playboy and the man to beat until Jones enters the game to compete against him. Sir Walter loves it when people say of him that he regularly breaks eleven of the Ten Commandments.
The poem "If" becomes Jones's personal motto, and he loves to quote from it. Jones has a strong sense of right, which causes him to lose the U.S. Open by one stroke after he insists on assessing a penalty on himself for doing something that literally no one else sees.
A thoroughly enjoyable movie, it is funny, sweet and heart-warming. It's a good-spirited and touching film that will appeal even to those who have barely played golf. In my one attempt at age 12, I got 102 -- on a nine-hole course.
BOBBY JONES, STROKE OF GENIUS runs 2:13. It is rated PG for "language" and would be acceptable for kids around 8 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, April 30, 2004. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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