Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius

Wow, what a nice movie! Beautifully filmed, too.

This is a loving tribute to the American amateur golf legend Bobby Jones but it doesn't sugarcoat his story. Jones is shown with his good and bad sides, especially his horrible temper which he corrected, and his nervous ailments which he was unable to correct and caused an early retirement from the game.

There is a lot of golf footage in here, of tournaments won and lost and battles against famous professional Walter Hagen, who always is pictured in these golf films as an arrogant, flamboyant man. In contrast, Jones' modest character is even more apparent than would normally be noticed.

Anyway, Jim Caveziel is likable as Jones and the two young actors who play the golfer as a kid also do very well. Jones' love interest is appealingly played by Claire Forlani. The two make for a handsome couple.

This is simply a good-natured, feel-good movie that is pleasing to the eyes as well as the heart. If you are a golfer, this a must, but a nice story even if you don't play the game. If you have the DVD, check out the documentaries here. They are quite interesting.