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Soul of the Game

Play trailer Poster for Soul of the Game PG-13 1996 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
After the appointment of pioneering MLB commissioner Happy Chandler, high-intensity catcher Josh Gibson (Mykelti Williamson) and aging ace pitcher Satchell Paige (Delroy Lindo) compete for the attentions of Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey (Edward Herrmann) as he scouts for talent in the Negro leagues. When Rickey signs Paige's youthful teammate, Jackie Robinson (Blair Underwood), he makes baseball history -- and creates a rift between three friends that may not mend easily.

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Ryan Cracknell Movie Views Akin to a bloop single: it's not pretty but it gets the job done, even if only for a little bit. Aug 1, 2010 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Nov 3, 2005 Full Review Michael A. Smith Nolan's Pop Culture Review A great story told in a great way. Rated: 5/5 Apr 15, 2005 Full Review Rob Vaux Flipside Movie Emporium Rated: 4/5 Jul 27, 2002 Full Review Scott Weinberg eFilmCritic.com Rated: 4/5 Jul 26, 2002 Full Review John A. Nesbit Old School Reviews Baseball fans will appreciate it far more than non-fans, and it's worth a look for the history despite the awkwardly forced cinematic moments Rated: C Feb 17, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (10) audience reviews
Audience Member Pretty darn good! I think even better than '42' in a way! I think all three of the main actors were excellent! And the story is really strong and cohesive. Poor Josh Gibson... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best baseball movies I've ever seen...yet no one seems to really know about it, which actually fits with the subjects of the film. Most mainstream Jackie Robinson movies are about the effect his life and career had on the world (aka the white community), but this one zeros in on the black community, specifically the Negro League athletes who set a path racial integration and had to watch someone else get the glory. A strong story well-told, with a wonderful lack of sensationalism and tons of heart. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Perfectly acted film that explores the potential candidates to break The Color Line in Major League Baseball. Of course, we know it will be Jackie Robinson (Blair Underwood) that Branch Rickey (Edward Herrmann) will handpick. The rivalry and friendship shared between Robinson, Satchel Paige (Delroy Lindo), and Josh Gibson (Mikelti Williamson) are what really moves this historical drama. Even a non-baseball fan should be entertained by this HBO production. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The Satchel Paige Story"The first black man to try to play professionally." Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member just ok. Somewhat interesting, but not terribly. Ballplaying quality is average to fair. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The Satchel Paige Story"The first black man to try to play professionally." Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Soul of the Game

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Cast & Crew

White Squall 57% 65% White Squall Watchlist Crooklyn 79% 90% Crooklyn Watchlist I'm Not Rappaport 38% 60% I'm Not Rappaport Watchlist The War 25% 73% The War Watchlist Blue Chips 40% 51% Blue Chips Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis After the appointment of pioneering MLB commissioner Happy Chandler, high-intensity catcher Josh Gibson (Mykelti Williamson) and aging ace pitcher Satchell Paige (Delroy Lindo) compete for the attentions of Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey (Edward Herrmann) as he scouts for talent in the Negro leagues. When Rickey signs Paige's youthful teammate, Jackie Robinson (Blair Underwood), he makes baseball history -- and creates a rift between three friends that may not mend easily.
Director
Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Producer
Robert Papazian
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Nov 1, 2001
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Stereo