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Why hasn't there been a movie about the '69 Mets?

That team is legendary. Truly legendary. If the '69 Mets never happened, the tale might seem too "Hollywood" to be real. But it did happen. Just the events of that team are sufficiently compelling to propel a quality movie. The backdrop of other events in 1969, such as Man on the Moon and Vietnam, add to the possibility of a truly great cinematic experience. So why has no such movie been made?

7 months ago 1986-mets-ray-knight_tiny Russ 29 comments 0 recs  | 

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Close but no cigar

I’m think about a movie that tracks a team as close as Moneyball tracks the ‘02 A’s.

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by Russ on Nov 14, 2011 9:27 PM EST up reply actions  

First thing I thought with this post.

It’s close enough for me. There aren’t exactly a ton of movies based on a specific team’s year.

by FrancoTAU on Nov 15, 2011 4:49 PM EST up reply actions  

*61 kind of is about the Yankees as a whole

And, The Bronx Is Burning is close enough to a movie.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

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by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 16, 2011 2:50 PM EST up reply actions  

Both made for TV, though.

"And that's why anybody who invested with Lenny Dykstra should really call that number. Lawyers are standing by."

by BobbyV_Incognito on Nov 16, 2011 6:22 PM EST up reply actions  

The whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

Most of the players were not necessarily interesting stories by themselves, with the exception of one or two like Tug McGraw.

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by StorkFan on Nov 14, 2011 10:00 PM EST reply actions  

I can think of a few possible reasons

1) There’s very few movies about pro sports, unless it’s an exceptional story (see: Jackie Robinson). This is partly because of licensing issues, but also because those stories are pretty familiar to people already. Most sports movies have another angle, like overcoming racism, or some other obstacle. That’s the way the studio brings in non-sports fans.

2) Sports movies aren’t very successful at the box office. Arguably the most successful sports movie ever is The Blind Side, and that wasn’t so much about football as it was about Sandra Bullock overcoming other peoples’ racism and winning an Oscar. Look at the most popular sports movies; almost all of them are about either boxing or amateur sports (NCAA, high school, etc). Here’s the most successful baseball movies over the past 30 years, not adjusted for inflation. Now more than ever, studios are risk-averse, and baseball movies don’t make a whole lot of money.

3) The story on the Mets is that they’re lovable losers (or just losers), and a movie about the ’69 Mets would go counter to that.

4) The story doesn’t hold much crossover appeal. This goes back to the first point; there’s got to be something in this movie that non-Mets fans would care about, and there’s nothing so incredible about the story that would draw in other people.

"And that's why anybody who invested with Lenny Dykstra should really call that number. Lawyers are standing by."

by BobbyV_Incognito on Nov 14, 2011 10:36 PM EST reply actions  

Sugar is pretty good.

Haven’t seen all the films on that list, but it might be the best one.

by secret defense on Nov 15, 2011 3:43 PM EST up reply actions  

All of these, valid things, and realistically, the reasons why

I think, though, that if framed in the context of the world, and how things were changing and the things that were happening, it could be done well. Kind of like Forest Gump (although obviously the Mets aren’t the ones causing various events). Play up the (at this point) historical undertones of what was going on in 1969.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 14, 2011 11:36 PM EST up reply actions  

Buddy Harrelson isn't lovable, and Gil Hodges transcendent?

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 15, 2011 10:50 AM EST up reply actions  

Terrible as Forrest Gump?

You must not’ve seen the version I saw. It’s certainly not the best movie in the world, but terrible is not even an afterthought.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 15, 2011 4:10 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

well, I'm allergic the kind of film featuring cheap, excessive sentimentality

and takes a piss on the complexity of history. This is a pretty thorough review of all the shortcomings of that film.

by secret defense on Nov 15, 2011 11:07 PM EST up reply actions  

Whenever I read those types of revues

the author comes off as the type of person I would avoid like the plague. Nothing is ever good enough and everything is complete and utter shit because some film made in france that no one has ever heard of did it soooo much better.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Nov 15, 2011 11:46 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

And for the record

I don’t find Forrest Gump wonderfully enjoyable. It’s too long and presents a simplified version of history that borderlines on silly.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Nov 15, 2011 11:48 PM EST up reply actions  

that's not true

he’s not biased against mainstream films. He gave Drive 4/4.

by secret defense on Nov 16, 2011 3:03 PM EST up reply actions  

Drive was awesome.

Best movie I’ve seen so far this year.

"And that's why anybody who invested with Lenny Dykstra should really call that number. Lawyers are standing by."

by BobbyV_Incognito on Nov 16, 2011 6:22 PM EST up reply actions  

Forrest Gump...terrible?

Oh, don’t even…

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You might know me as mistermet.

by Steve Schreiber on Nov 15, 2011 4:55 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

I wouldn't call it terrible.

Hugely overrated treacle, yes. Terrible, no.

"And that's why anybody who invested with Lenny Dykstra should really call that number. Lawyers are standing by."

by BobbyV_Incognito on Nov 15, 2011 7:48 PM EST up reply actions  

I couldn't watch a movie about a team I know so well

because I’d be nitpicking about every little detail. I remember a movie that showed Babe Ruth as a righty and I just couldn’t get over it.

Still Amazin'.
Jose Reyes is a MET in 2012.

by piazza62 on Nov 15, 2011 11:36 PM EST reply actions  

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