Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Rowdy Herrington

Writers (WGA):

Rowdy Herrington (story) and
Kim Dawson (story) ...

Release Date:

30 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

There are finer things than winning championships.

Plot:

Jim Caviezel stars as golf legend Bobby Jones, the icon who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.

Plot Keywords:

Golf | Temper | Competition | 1930s | Athlete

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Caviezel	...	Bobby Jones (as Jim Caviezel)
Claire Forlani	...	Mary Malone Jones
Jeremy Northam	...	Walter Hagen
Malcolm McDowell	...	O.B. Keeler
Aidan Quinn	...	Harry Vardon
Brett Rice	...	Big Bob Jones
Connie Ray	...	Clara Jones
Devon Gearhart	...	Little Bobby (6 / 8)
Bubba Lewis	...	Bobby (14) (as Thomas 'Bubba' Lewis)
Dan Albright	...	Grandfather Jones
Paul Freeman	...	Angus
Alistair Begg	...	Stewart Maiden
Hilton McRae	...	Jimmy Maiden
Elizabeth Omilami	...	Camilla
Brian F. Durkin	...	Perry Adair

MPAA:

Rated PG for language.

Runtime:

USA:120 min | USA:129 min (TV version: Sony Pictures Television print) | Canada:128 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-3 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | USA:PG (certificate #40746)

Filming Locations:

Agnes Scott College - 141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia, USA

Company:

Bobby Jones Films LLC

Goofs:

Continuity: When seeing Mary for the first time Bobby jumps on his bicycle to follow her. He rides past a man reading a newspaper who is wearing dark pants, a blueish jacket and a hat. Riding fast enough to keep up with the trolley, and with not stopping, Bobby passes the man again.

Quotes:

Guy On Street: Hi, Bobby!
Robert Tyre Jones, Jr.: Hello.
Mary Malone Jones: Who was that?
Robert Tyre Jones, Jr.: I have no idea...
O.B. Keeler: It's 110 degrees... in the shade.
Robert Tyre Jones, Jr.: Well, I guess it's a good thing we don't have to play in the shade.

Soundtrack:

Remarkable Girl

A Rather Surprisingly Good Biography of an Icon

Not being a golfer or a fan of biographies of sportsmen, this viewer found a surprising amount of satisfaction in this recreation of the life of Bobby Jones, whose fame in the game of golf is legendary. So the question arises: "How can a film about golf maintain such a viewer's attention and appreciation?" The answer lies in the physical production of this beautiful little film. Capturing the essence of the world in the 1920s and 1930s not only in costuming and manners and atmosphere but in sociologic and philosophic vantages, Director Rowdy Herrington has ably explored the life and times of the reluctant hero in a way that exhumes a period in history when everyone needed something to believe in. Actors Jim Caviezel, Malcolm McDowell, Jeremy Northam, and Claire Forlani not only look their parts: their demeanor before the camera absorbs the state of mind of America lapsing from the riotous 20s to the massive depression of the 30s.

Bobby Jones physical problems, both self induced and genetic, are explored with just enough veracity to make him more of a well-rounded character than a cardboard saint (we don't learn the name of his neurological disorder - syringomyelia - until the final credits). His struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds to move through every golfing challenge of his day and succeed beyond the realm of possibility is well captured in Caviezel's delicately nuanced performance.

Not a great movie, but certainly worth more attention than it received in the theaters. You don't need to be a golfer to appreciate the beauty of this little moment of nostalgia. Grady Harp