Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius

Golfers will love this film about one of the greatest golfers of all time. I say one of the greatest because it is hard to say that any one golfer was the greatest given the changing conditions, the degree if competition, and the changes in equipment. While Jones undoubtedly was the best of his generation, arguments can be made that Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus were the greatest of their generations and that Tiger Woods is the greatest of the present generation.

From a historical standpoint, this movie is very accurate and a great deal of attention was paid to every detail. As to authenticity of the sets and costumes this movie is the best I have seen in years. All too often movies take shortcuts which infringe on their authenticity. Even the uniforms worn by the Marines in this picture are authentic replicas of the uniforms worn by Marines in the early '30s down to the ribbons.

The film does have some shortcomings though. Ihe acting is not that great and the story gets a little hammy at times but the reality still shows through. Much too much is made of the reporter from the Atlanta Journal who is used as a foil. While the Journal did follow Jones closely, it wasn't nearly as close as depicted in the film. But the story brings out the humanness of Jones quite well, better than does the usually told legends.

Bobby Jones has the same feel as the many old movie biographies of the 1950s, like the Glenn Miller Story, but it is better written and better acted and certainly the historic artifacts are better, although it is true that everything looks so new! There is no high drama, but one gets a sense of the sheer effort it took for Jones to succeed. Anyone who knew only the bare outlines of his career, and about his background, may have assumed that he was a "natural"to whom the game came easily. The opposite is true and the movies demonstrates, ironically, why amateurs have disappeared from golf. The effort needed to excel is too great except for the most gifted of golfers. Tiger Woods would not be what he is if he had to work at another job for 9 months a year.

But my questions is: what do some people hate morality tales, but especially the ones that are true. Is it inverted snobbery? I think so.

My dad loved golf, and I wish I did. Unfortunately, I'm like my mom--as unathletic as you can get. But I enjoyed this film about the greatest amateur golfer who ever lived.

Bobby Jones didn't do it for the money. Isn't that an anachronism in this sports-crazed age of million dollar salaries! Bobby's record as the only golfer to win the big three of golf tournaments still stands. He walked away from it after this accomplishment to devote his life to his family.

I really like this movie. It portrayed a time when values meant something. Jim Caviezel does a great job as do the rest of the cast. The guy who plays Jones' arch rival, Walter Kagan almost steals the movie.

We saw this movie last night on its opening night for the public. It was a good movie about a man who loved to play golf, and over his lifetime transformed himself into a man of integrity, perseverance, and great intelligence. He knew what was really important in his life and he made a plan that allowed him to fulfill his destiny in golf and in his personal life. He was the best golf player in the world, but he was also an awesome man personally. One of his greatest accomplishments was bringing his father and grandfather together, healing a life-long rift.

The movie was well done. It was both entertaining and enlightening. It definitely kept our interest for the whole two hours. We felt his sense of life-long struggle, that life was never easy for him, and we celebrated his accomplishments, both on and off the golf course. The actors did a wonderful job, especially Jim Caviezel as Bobby and Malcolm McDowell as OB Keilor, the newspaper reporter who wrote about Bobby's career from the very beginning. Jeremy Northam also had a good supporting role as Walter Hagen.

We'd recommend that you see this movie; you don't have to love golf to enjoy it (but if you do, you'll enjoy it all the more). It's worth seeing in the movie theater.

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.