BOBBY JONES: A STROKE OF GENIUS

REVIEWED BY SCARLETT POWELL

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: language

Rated:

Golf in our family is something of a norm. My brother likes to spend long hours in the backyard practicing his swing. The one time I tried it, I succeeded in knocking the tee several feet, rolled the ball into the nearby bushes, and took out a big chunk of our lawn. And that was the third try. Golf is not my forte, which may be why I was absolutely bored out of my mind by this film.

Little Bobby Jones (Devon Gearhart) is the cutest thing in shoe leather. Beset with his arrogant little cap and a set of child-sized clubs, he follows his businessman father around the family golf course and studies the swings of daddy's wealthy clients. Along the way he learns two of his mightiest weapons: how to respond when you miss a shot (by throwing the club to the ground and hollering profanities), and how to knock that ball across the beautiful green with great ease. The exercise benefits his weak limbs and makes him stronger. Very rapidly the child earns the admiration of everyone around him, and makes his way toward becoming a champion. At twelve, he goes up against men twice his age and beats them royally. He also peaks the interest of journalist O.B. Keeler (Malcolm McDowell), who professes that this mini-professional has a long career ahead of him on the green.

As an adult Bobby Jones (James Caviezel) is known throughout the world. He's average as far as the scoreboard goes, but is a public favorite. There's something about the home-boy style of this champion that appeals to the masses. Soon he is pitted against the best golfers in the world, including arrogant "Sir" Walter Hagen (Jeremy Northam), who gives him a thorough trouncing because, as he puts it, "You play golf because you love it. I play for the money, which means I always win." Humiliated by this experience, and also facing the consequences of his abominable temper, which has lost the respect of most of the courses, Bobby becomes enraptured with beautiful Mary (Claire Forlani). She's of aristocratic Catholic stock and has never played golf in her life, which is perhaps what makes them perfect for one another. But when illness and preoccupation threatens their match made in heaven, this young couple will have to learn to survive in a world that has other things besides heavenly turf to think of.

Deep at its heart, Bobby Jones is a reasonably good story about overcoming odds, but it gives us very few answers. We know nothing of the illness that assaulted the boy's weak limbs, nor of his ability to make such incredible shots. The audience feels at times as though they are on the outside looking in, when we should be inside the character's minds. There's some excellent acting from all involved, and a very lyrical kind of dry humor that pops up at the most unexpected moments. Good lessons about never giving up make an appearance, when Bobby is "beaten" by a track. (He is told by Hagen that it's the most beautiful track on the world, because taking it on is a challenge. Bobby ultimately comes to see that the hardest things are the most rewarding in the end.) Along for the ride is a heavy dose of self-confidence ("You'll become the greatest golfer in the world when you know that you are"), but religion is left out completely or demeaned through the presence of crusty ultra-fundamentalists who harp on abusing the Sabbath.

Bobby's grandfather is a protestant cleric. His wife is a devoted Catholic. His mother believes in the zodiac, and brings it up several times. He is, apparently, nothing. There's no sexual content aside from some comments about Hagen's legendary love affairs, but what is really unfortunate is the amount of language packed into the first half of the film. Listening to adults spout off is one thing, but seeing a six year old throw down his club in a rage and scream "S***fire" and "son of a ***** ..." seems to be pushing it. This prominent fault aside, I just wasn't able to get into the film. It might please fans of the sport, but left me yearning to call "Fore!"

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