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 Russ 29 comments 0 recs |

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Does 'Frequency' count?

by James Kannengieser on Nov 14, 2011 9:22 PM EST reply actions

Close but no cigar

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

__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden

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

Thought the same thing.

Pretty decent movie.

by Evan_S on Nov 14, 2011 11:27 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah I liked it, even setting aside the Mets aspect

by James Kannengieser on Nov 15, 2011 12:10 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

New York Knights, 1939

Pick me out a winner, Bobby.

by Ownbey4Mex on Nov 16, 2011 11:39 AM 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.

What's the score, boys?
What did Bugs Bunny do?
What's with the Carrot League baseball today?

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

Having Tom Seaver never hurts

by Evan_S on Nov 14, 2011 11:27 PM EST up 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

Clearly "The Benchwarmers" is the best movie of those in the top 5

The only one that can truly be called a film.

by Evan_S on Nov 14, 2011 11:31 PM EST up 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

So like Miracle but without a bunch of lovable college guys coming together as a team or a transcendent coach?

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Nov 15, 2011 1:56 AM 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

I would avoid the movie like the plague

if it ends up as terrible as Forrest Gump.

by secret defense on Nov 15, 2011 3:41 PM 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