61*

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61*

TV-MA

2001

2h 8m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Aiming for one of the most famed records in sports history, a pair of very different baseball players hit home runs at an impressive rate. Roger Maris (Barry Pepper), a reserved sort, is much less popular than his hard-partying New York Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane), the player who many observers think will be the one to challenge Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in one season. But in the summer of 1961, Maris surges ahead of Mantle, making a run at Ruth's mark.

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Nathan Rabin

AV Club

What begins as a lively, vibrant evocation of one of baseball's greatest seasons ends as a frustratingly conventional tale of sports heroism, a sort of upscale movie-of-the-week for the Classic Sports Network crowd.

Mar 25, 2020

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Ron Wertheimer

New York Times

This film is about more than a broken record. It's about a broken heart. Watch it, and yours may break, too.

Mar 25, 2020

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Tim Goodman

San Francisco Chronicle

The beauty of 61, the Billy Crystal film for HBO, is that it early on makes a few dangerous missteps and corrects them quickly, all the while benefiting from a story as riveting and freshly modern as any sports story ever.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 25, 2020

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Alan Ng

Film Threat

I enjoyed 61*, but then again, I'm a longtime fan of baseball.

Rated: 7.5/10

Jan 10, 2022

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Crystal delivers a nice looking sentimental television drama geared for the fan who looks to baseball as if it were a religion.

Rated: B

Mar 31, 2020

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Bob Bloom

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

A great baseball movie solidly directed by Billy Crystal. You can tell he's a Yankee fan, but also does not hesitate from showing the warts on some of his idols.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 12, 2007

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Rob A

I'm a Yankee fan, raised on Staten Island and born in 1969, so for me this Billy Crystal picture was absolutely amazing. If you're much younger than I, or hate the Yankees, or just don't like baseball then it may not be your cup of tea. It's also a bit dated now, as Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa would likely not be mentioned today - Aaron Judge would be. But make no mistake, a terrific true story is told here, one that is slowly being lost to history. Phil Rizutto and Yogi Berra's characters are hilarious, and somehow Mantle did this as an alcoholic, Maris smoked 3 packs a day, and neither knew anything about PED's. Great story, and a great movie for some. PS a very close childhood friend of mine, Mr. Paul Ambrus, plays one of the Bronx Bombers as an extra, which is neat.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

Full Review

Jester T

Unbelievable depiction of the ‘61 Yankees run for the single season home run record. The actors move like Mantle & Maris, bat like them, look like them, talk like them. Billy Crystal went to great pains to use CG to make Yankee Stadium look like it did then. If you never see another baseball movie this is the one to watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

Full Review

Fredric B

it's a trip back in time; thanks to Billy Crystal's fanaticism about Mickey Mantle,Roger Maris, & the New York Yankees. The actor's he found were the spitting image of the real thing, who were played by Barry Pepper (Roger Maris) Thomas Jane (Mickey Mantle) A must see for any Baseball fan!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/30/23

Full Review

Steve D

I didn't think there was a whole lot there.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great acting, and great tribute to an amazing time in baseball

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/12/22

Full Review

Phil D

This movie is outstanding. A real human story of these two incredible baseball players.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/04/22

Full Review

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Synopsis

Aiming for one of the most famed records in sports history, a pair of very different baseball players hit home runs at an impressive rate. Roger Maris (Barry Pepper), a reserved sort, is much less popular than his hard-partying New York Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane), the player who many observers think will be the one to challenge Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in one season. But in the summer of 1961, Maris surges ahead of Mantle, making a run at Ruth's mark.

Director: Billy Crystal
Producer: Robert F. Colesberry
Screenwriter: Hank Steinberg
Production Co: HBO Films, Face Productions
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2018
Runtime: 2h 8m

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