61* (2001)

Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.

Director:

Billy Crystal

Writer:

Hank Steinberg

Stars:

Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Anthony Michael Hall

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barry Pepper	...	Roger Maris
Thomas Jane	...	Mickey Mantle
Anthony Michael Hall	...	Whitey Ford
Richard Masur	...	Milt Kahn
Bruce McGill	...	Ralph Houk
Chris Bauer	...	Bob Cerv
Jennifer Crystal Foley	...	Pat Maris ('61)
Christopher McDonald	...	Mel Allen
Bob Gunton	...	Dan Topping
Donald Moffat	...	Ford Frick
Joe Grifasi	...	Phil Rizzuto
Peter Jacobson	...	Artie Green
Seymour Cassel	...	Sam Simon
Robert Joy	...	Bob Fitschel
Michael Nouri	...	Joe DiMaggio

Storyline

Aiming for one of the most famed records in sports history, a pair of very different baseball players hit home runs at an impressive rate. Roger Maris, a reserved sort, is much less popular than his hard-partying New York Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle, the player who many observers think will be the one to challenge Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in one season. But in the summer of 1961, Maris surges ahead of Mantle, making a run at Ruth's mark.

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Plot Keywords:

babe ruth character | reference to ed sullivan | joe dimaggio character | reference to mark mcgwire | mickey mantle character | 

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Taglines:

Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Why did America have room in its heart for only one hero?

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Sport

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joe Grifasi and Bob Gunton previously appeared in Matewan (1987).

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Goofs

Seats in Detroit have cushions with the modern Tigers logo, not installed until the early 1990s.

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Quotes

[Mickey Mantle just switched from right hand to left hand during batting practice]
Yogi Berra: Oh, look at this. Mr. Ambidextrial.
Elston Howard: Ambidextrial?
Yogi Berra: Ambidextrial, you know... this side, that side.

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Crazy Credits

After the first set of credits, a father tells his son "That's Mickey Mantle and that's a homerun". The film is then dedicated to director Billy Crystal's father who introduced him to baseball as a child.

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Connections

Referenced in Sports Jeopardy!: Episode #1.18 (2015)

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Soundtracks

I Like It Like That
Written by Allen Toussaint (as Allen Troussaint) & Chris Kenner
Performed by Chris Kenner
Courtesy of Charly Licensing APS

User Reviews

A Beautiful Friendship

First off, I'm a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan and thus not much of a Yankees fan. However, this may be one of the best baseball movies, if not one of the best sports films, ever made; even though baseball fans know how the story ends, your emotions will be stirred and you will find yourself rooting for these two players whether or not you have a preference for pinstripes.

Barry Pepper and Thomas Jane steal the show as Maris and Mantle, two Yankee teammates that form an alliance to help carry them through the turmolterous race to break the single-season home run record of Babe Ruth in 1961. While everyone from the press box to the peanut vendor appears to favor seeing the lovable Mick, even the commissioner of baseball seems to have an agenda against the misunderstood Maris. Trying to eclipse a mark of a legend against such adversity proves to be no easy task for either player, and the film does a great job of demonstrating the pressure that each player experienced from his own angle.

Director and noted Yankees fan Billy Crystal obviously put his heart and soul into directing and producing this masterpiece and deserves credit for putting an honest face on the race to the home run record between these two legends. Most impressive was how much care was taken to make the actors appear to step comfortably into the roles of each player; Jane and Pepper appear and act so much like "the M&M boys" that it's spooky. Being a passionate fan of the game probably puts a bias on this review but, even if you don't know the difference between a squeeze play and a double play, it's a great story about friendship and facing odds.

Details

Official Sites:

HBO

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

61

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Face Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1