MOVIE REVIEW Caviezel keeps 'Bobby Jones' from getting too melodramatic
The film's mood recalls old Hollywood 'biopics.'
By PHILIP WUNTCH
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
For over a decade, the press has labeled Tom Hanks the new Jimmy Stewart. With "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius," Jim Caviezel qualifies as an even newer Jimmy Stewart.
He has an honest face that the camera likes -- an essential quality for "The Passion of the Christ." It's important, too, for playing golf legend Bobby Jones. Jones played his sport earnestly, without hope of great reward, and died painfully, without complaint.
The worshipful new movie avoids graphic details of the physical agony caused by syringomyelia, a spinal disorder that plagued Jones since childhood. Its tone is mostly upbeat in the manner of Old Hollywood "biopics." As its ads glibly state, the movie is about the "passion" of a professional golfer. However, its mood is the serene cinematic equivalent of comfy old shoes and rocking chair.
Much more than the lumpish screenplay and stately direction, Caviezel sustains that mood. His ordinary-guy sincerity allows us to accept the fact that Bobby Jones was born into a life of privilege and affluence. He was, of course, also born into pain.
Four wins in four months
Obsessed with golf at an early age, Jones attains a Grand Slam record of winning the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur and British Open, all within a four-month period. Early in his career, he occasionally displayed a trace of temperament and hints of depression. But as his legend grew, so did a spirit of equanimity. Through all of Jones' challenges, Caviezel remains beatific in manner without losing the human touch. At this point, the actor registers reverence untainted by sanctimoniousness.
The screenplay traffics in clich & eacute;s, and homilies dot the dialogue. Some cast members help elevate the material. These include Malcolm McDowell as the kind of eccentric journalist that was a staple of Damon Runyon and Ben Hecht; Jeremy Northam as showboating golfer Walter Hagen; and Dan Albright as Jones' fuddy-duddy grandpa. Claire Forlani, as Jones' wife, is appropriately warm and supportive.
Devon Gearhart, who plays young Bobby at the age of 8, has the soulfulness and spirit that distinguished Haley Joel Osment.
But Caviezel's naturalness provides this movie's artistic salvation.
X'Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius,' rated (PG) for mild language, is playing at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre in Niles and Cinema South in Boardman.