Mantle (2005)

“He was humble and often shy, attention made him uncomfortable, but he could not escape it” – Narrator

Number of Times Seen – 1 (16 Mar 2016)

Brief Synopsis – A no holds barred look at the on and off field life of New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle.

My Take on it – Growing in South Jersey, I was always a fan of the Yankees and as a kid studied as much as I could about the Yankee legends – Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Munson, Jackson and of course Mickey Mantle.

Mantle was always one of my personal favorites.

One of my favorite baseball movies is 61* (2001) which tells the story about the race to break the single season home run record by Yankee greats Roger Maris and Mantle.

That movie was directed by Billy Crystal who was a huge fan of Mantle and even became friends with him later in life.

This documentary tells us so much about Mantle’s troubled life on and off the field and it gives us all a very clear perspective on his life despite his flaws.

I loved the eclectic group of people interviewed (friends, family, teammates, and fans alike) because it shows us how universally loved he was by so many people.

The way that Mantle’s life journey is shown to us is quite informative and we get to understand how he got to where he was throughout his life based mostly upon his fears and insecurities.

The fact that the people who knew him so well were able to talk about him so candidly says so much about what they thought of him and what they believe can help others by learning and understanding about his life.

All in all, Mickey Mantle was a great sports hero; a tragic one nonetheless.

Bottom Line – Great documentary warts and all because it gives us a full perspective of his successes and failures in life. Excellent interviews with friends, teammates, family members and fans which enlightens us to so much about his life. A truly tragic hero. Highly recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Over the 18 seasons with the Bombers, despite constant nagging injuries, Mantle hit 536 home runs, twice hitting more than 50 in a season. He finished ten seasons with a batting average of .300 or more, and played in seven World Series. Today, “The Mick” remains the greatest switch-hitter in baseball history. (From HBO)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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