Customer Reviews

The Babe

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Probably the most famous baseball player of all-time, Babe Ruth should definitely have had a movie done about him, and "The Babe" is a decent effort, but is not without flaws. First, there are many inaccuracies in this movie, but I won't go into that too deep. At the end of the movie (1936), The Babe is spitting up blood during the game between the Braves and the Pirates, but Ruth did not pass away from cancer until 1948. Certainly Ruth did not have cancer in 1936.. There's many other things, but I don't need to list them all.

But the thing that really bothered me about this movie is that Ruth is portrayed as nothing more than a bumbling idiot while he was with the Red Sox. While this is good for a few laughs, it really took away from my enjoyment of the first half of the movie. I'm thinking "THIS guy is Babe Ruth??" However, as soon as Ruth is sold to the Yankees, he becomes much more intelligent and doesn't act like a complete dumba$$ all of the time. At this point, the movie takes a much more serious turn, and in my opinion, the last half of the movie is EXCELLENT. The film delves into the Babe's issues both on and off the field, and definitely has some touching moments, and a strong finish to the movie. Too bad the first half of the movie was so silly.. So overall, 1 star for the first half of the movie, 5 stars for the second half, for a final score of 3 stars.

I thought that John Goodman was very good as The Babe, although yes, he was much larger (weight) than Babe Ruth really was at any point in his life, but let's not get hung up on details. Goodman was a good fit for the part, and Kelly McGillis was excellent in the supporting role of Claire Hudson.

All of that said, if you're a true baseball historian, you will find plenty to complain about with "The Babe", but if you just want a fun baseball movie to watch, then I would definitely recommend it. I would hope that someday a movie is made about Babe Ruth that is more historically accurate, and has a much more grand feel like the movie 61*, because this telling of Babe Ruth's life just isn't quite the home run that it should have been.

I saw this movie as a kid when it came out and liked it, but since then it has gone through something of a critical reevaluation. Goodman is an entertaining actor, but there are just too many factual errors, and they arguably detract too much from the film's quality.

As was noted elsewhere by other reviewers, Goodman's Ruth does not represent a great athlete. Ruth was not overweight growing up, nor in his early days as a ballplayer. Ruth's weight did fluctuate, but few to this day know that Ruth had 123 career stolen bases, and actually led the Yankees in steals one year (1923). Goodman's character was unreasonably slow, and at the end was portrayed as unable to run the bases even on a home run. This might work as light humor, but it certainly is not fact. Also of note, Goodman was a natural born right-hander that had to learn how to bat and throw left-handed like Ruth for the purpose of acting in this film. This makes Goodman look awkward, and even less like an athlete on a few occasions.

On the other hand, I understand as a general rule that playwrights and filmmakers are given a certain "artistic license," and that it is alright on some occasions to stretch the truth for a purpose. The bloated portrayal of Ruth might be one such example, no matter how erroneous it is from a factual standpoint. Even so, many of the inaccuracies have no discernable purpose. Case in point, "Jumpin' Joe" Dugan was never a teammate of Ruth's in Boston, only in New York. It is also known that Ruth did not have any home runs in 1914, but according to this movie he had one that year. In addition, Ruth was not the first player to hit a home run at Forbes Field. The list could go on for a while, and there seems to be no reason why the filmmakers decided to alter such facts. "Jumpin' Joe" may have been put in there just to have a veteran teammate friend for Ruth, but Dugan started his career three years after Ruth did, so he could not have been a veteran to Ruth at any point in his career. They could have picked someone else to fill this fictitious "veteran teammate" role, or scrapped the idea all together. The 1914 home run served the purpose of providing a dramatic rookie year home run, but this scene could have been set in 1915 instead, and with some modifications perhaps could have been just as dramatic. Lastly, regarding Forbes Field, the announcer could have said a true statement along the lines of "Forbes Field is a pitchers ballpark, not many home runs are hit here folks," as opposed to the inaccurate "no one has ever hit a ball out of Forbes Field." The latter line had a dramatic effect, but was not necessary.

Also of note, Ruth's supposed "meeting" with gangster Alphonse Capone seemed a bit absurd, perhaps this was thrown in to get a glimpse of the times. Aside from the dicey misrepresentations though, there were a few strong qualities. The acting was strong overall, with Ruth's two wives giving strong performances, and Goodman's performance was not a total wash, even if there was too much over-the-top buffoonery. And let it be said that this film does have the ability to evoke some of the excitement of the game of baseball - a sentiment especially felt as an eight or nine year old viewer. But as said by Derek Armstrong, there were "too few ambitions toward a greatness to match that of its subject matter."

Babe was one of the best baseball movies that I've ever seen. It has a little of everything in this movie from funny to sad parts to really dramatic parts. Atleast that's what I remember from it, but I saw it back in 92 and haven't seen it yet. But anyway it was a great movie and really detailed about Babe Ruth's life so own this one today.

Yes, Babe Ruth was a baseball legend.
Yes, Babe Ruth was like an overgrown kid in a candy store, trying to gobble up as much of the good life as possible before it overtook him.
That is how it is portrayed in "The Babe," showing the ups and downs in the life of the Bambino.
John Goodman was excellent in this role. He played all aspects with gusto and showed what a talented actor he really is. Look at these facets.
1. He leaves St. Mary's, shy, scared and not knowing what was waiting for him.
2. His childish antics as he discovers things around him, such as the elevator in the hotel, chewing gum, good food, beautiful women and plenty of booze.
3. His absolute love for the game, although he took no measures to keep himself in shape to play.
4. His rollercoaster of emotions as his career and his personal life took ups and downs, from signing the biggest deal in baseball and creating "The House that Ruth Built," to physical confrontations with the fans who jeered him.
5. His devotion to children, especially those who were orphaned such as he was. He took them for rides in his car, he brought shoes to them in the orphanage.
6. The painful realization that his career was over as he walked off the field for the last time with his head down, to the standing ovation of the home crowd.
This is a vast expanse of characterizations, and Goodman covered them all. True, he did have to lose weight to play the Babe. He dropped down to 275 pounds. That's only 15 pounds more than Babe usually weighed when he reported to spring training after an offseason of indulging in food, booze and women. He would play his way down to 240 pounds by the end of the season, but he was still 20 pounds overweight. Just think how many home runs he would have hit if he had the work ethic of a Lou Gehrig, a Nolan Ryan, a Mike Schmidt or a Roger Clemens.
Sure, Goodman had a washerwoman swing at times during the movie. But, keep in mind that he is "right" handed and is performing with his left. I am very right handed, and when I try to throw with my left hand, I look deformed.
To those who glorify Babe Ruth, this movie may be a shocker, but it told the truth. He loved the game, and he loved to live the wild life. Ultimately, it shortened his career by a few years.
Goodman is great as the Bambino! Not only can he do comedy (he is totally hilarious in Rozanne), but he can do good dramatical roles if given the right piece, such as in this movie. Heck, with the nose job and his round face, he could pass for the Bambino's son!

Normally I don't review content on DVDs just execution ....this product suffers on both counts. The true story of BABE RUTH is a legendary one...and this movie pays little attention to much of it. With all the amazing athletic feats to deal with this movie mostly takes the personal route and gets pretty redundant with it...how many belches do we need to hear or meals do we need to see consumed at record pace?
Goodman could have played Ruth...but he'd have needed to drop some weight...lots of it. Ruth was a great athlete and while his weight fluctuated he was never the blob that Goodman is. I remember seeing this movie when it first played in theatres and until I actually saw real footage of Ruth and learned the true story years later did I realize what a travesty this "movie of the week" type project is....
BEST THING ABOUT THIS DVD? the two bonus featurettes starring the real BABE RUTH as bonus features...they alone are worth the ten bucks

Babe Ruth is arguably the most well known baseball player in history. He was most certainly one of the greater players to play the game. The stories and legends surrounding both is playing and his personal life could fill volumes; and indeed do. It has gotten now to the point that it is difficult to separate truth from fiction. All that being said though, even after you discount the myth portion of his life, Babe Ruth was still and all a fascinating man and baseball player.

Now the movie being reviewed here cannot in any shape or form be classified as a historical documentary. If a person wants that sort of thing, then it is best to find one of the many, many fine biographies written about Ruth. No, for the most part this film is an extremely fictionalized version of Ruth's life and Ruth's game. The errors in this film are beyond counting. The portrayal of Ruth's life; while based on loose interpretations of fact, are quite off the mark in most cases.

But all that being said I cannot actually trash the film. I personally viewed this work as a simple baseball story about a historical character in which Hollywood did its usual job on. I actually enjoyed watching this film as I felt the acting was most certainly up to par as acting in this type of movie goes and I liked the fact that the film makers most certainly captured the feel and essence of the times. Sports in general, and baseball in particular, were a national obsession and followed closely by most of the nation. This was before T.V. and (gasp) before football became our National Sport. Times were quite different then; some for the good, some for the bad. This film, if you watch closely, portrays the way it was quite well.

John Goodman, despite being very much overweight for the part, actually did a pretty good job of catching the character of Ruth, in particular during the last part of the film. The two ladies that played his two wives were excellent in their part and probably turned in more accurate performances of the people they portrayed than anyone else in the film.

This film must be viewed as a simple "baseball" film and is not a historical documentary. Fans of baseball; those to know and love the game and its history will more than likely grind their teeth when watching much of this film but again, it must be remembered that this is not a documentary, rather it is a baseball film loosely based upon real characters.

Now my personal objections to this film boil down to two things. First is that a great film could be made of Ruth's life without twisting the truth all that much. His real life was actually more interesting than anything Hollywood could come up with in their fantasy world. My second concern is that many young folk may watch this film and come away feeling they know the "true" Babe Ruth story. The film makers here had a great opportunity to make a great film about a great baseball player but to be frank...the blew it. On the other hand, viewed as a work of pretty much fiction, it was kind of fun to watch.

Note: I did not watch this on blue-ray, or any other recording device. I watched this one on very late night T.V. It was a good movie for those who like to prowl the late night movie channels.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

I remember liking this film a lot more when I was a kid. Of course now that I am older, I realize that it doesn't do George Herman Ruth justice, as a person, or a ball player, making him into an oaf and a clod, a big shambling mess on the ball field. The movie script over simplifies important scenes, makes a big deal out of others that don't seem as though they should be, and glosses over important events entirely. It's still enjoyable, but take it with a grain of salt. More interestingly, watch the two wonderful short films on the special features that the real Babe Ruth made, and compare them to the trainwreck John Goodman portrays. In one Babe goes to an orphanage and teaches a kid how to play baseball, in the other, he steps off a train to play stick ball in a field with some kids. The personality of the real Babe Ruth was what made the man interesting. There are only a few scenes halfway through the film where John Goodman came close to capturing that personality. They should have concentrated on getting their facts straight when they made the movie, rather than trying to get a reaction from the audience. My biggest complaint was that they totally missed the relationship with Gehrig and Ruth. My favorite aspect of the movie was the nostalgia of a time period long gone, that they just don't make very many movies about. Maybe one day, Babe Ruth will get the movie he deserves. Until then, this one will have to do.

When he was a Orphan as a Child named Babe Ruth, he discover his hidden talent for the love of Baseball. When he turned Adult (John Goodman), he become unexpectedly a Baseball Legend.

In this film, which is surprisngly well made:an old-fashioned Hollywood-Style Bio-Pic. John Goodman hit a home run as Babe Ruth with his Amazing Performance. This movie has its grit and seeming no-holds-barred honesty. A memorable film, based on a True Fact. Directed by Arthur Hiller (Taking Care of Business). Grade:B+.

I think this was a good solid movie. Babe Ruth was a legend, no doubt, but all that glitters is not gold, and his life was no exception. I think that by watching this movie you can see why the Sultan of Swat was the way he was, as far as his temper, his low self-esteem at first, his overgrown sense of his own self-worth toward the end of his career. I thought John Goodman played a fine Ruth and while he did appear excessively heavy and slow for the part, Ruth was not a slim, overally muscled athlete in the 1910's. Perhaps, the "dirty" scenes another reviewer commented upon were the scenes dealing with Ruth's flatulence! Overall, it was a good movie, my kids were able to watch it and enjoyed it and I think Goodman did a great role as The Great Bambino. This movie tells it straight, doesn't over glorify him just because he was who he was; afterall, he like the rest of us, was human.

I can't help but wonder if this film wasn't made more from an excuse to cash in on the popularity of John Goodman at the time of this film than an honest desire to portray the baseball icon. It would certainly explain the film's inaccuracies and rushed feel. I remember that around that time (late 80's, early 90s), Goodman seemed to be fairly popular. Can it be coincidence that somebody wanted to make a film about Babe Ruth at around the same time Goodman started receiving recognition in Hollywood? Honestly, I don't think so. At any rate, Goodman is miscast as Ruth. For one thing, Ruth wasn't really fat; more like broad and stocky. He was quite athletic and able to play the field - remember, there was no such thing as a designated hitter back then. In other words, offense isn't the only part of baseball; Ruth played defense too. Does this film ever show Ruth in the outfield? Can't say for sure because I didn't really watch the entire thing, but it's hard to imagine paunchy John Goodman fielding fly balls. The other thing is Goodman is simply unlikeable as Ruth. As we can see from film footage (including Pride of the Yankees), the real Ruth was energetic and charismatic. Goodman's Ruth is simply loud, crass and grating.