Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: *****
This movie was exemplary from the get-go---the acting, the story, the golf scenes---beatiful! It is the story of Bobby Jones' personal journey to greatness. It is not just for golfers, but for anyone interested in being entertained, inspired, and uplifted, all at the same time.
Of course, Bobby Jones' story is true as well. The movie illustrates his struggles balancing family concerns with golf, struggling with physical pain and chronic illness, and the pressures faced by a great athlete. Bobby Jones was an individual with courage and integrity. Special features include an actual clip of a speech made by Bobby Jones. Movies this good are not made often enough!
*****
Rating: 
Summary: Jesus Plays Golf
Review: After watching this film I feel that we need to have a serious talk about Jim Caviezel's ego. Just in case he wasn't feeling quite perfect enough after playing Jesus, he signs up for another film in which he is portrayed as being far above human. In fact, director Rowdy Herrington made great strides to try to make the audience forget that Bobby Jones was actually human. We see Jones turning down women and money and gambling. We see Jones overcome injury. And we see it all while the score in the background has us expecting Jones to suddenly rise up and levitate into the heavens. All the things that he did in the film he very well may have done in real life. However, when a film casually glosses over any faults he may have it destroys the credibility of the picture as a whole. This film also had the feel of a made for TV movie. It was cheesy and simplistic, and in the end I just wanted this melodrama to be over. The film tries to teach us that pride is more important that money. To do so they paint this horrible picture of rich, white society where nothing matters so long as you are rich and religious. But aren't those the people that idolize Bobby Jones, and who would be willing to watch this film? I've always thought it best not to insult your main customer. Above all this I also felt as though the film had no creativity. Yes, we know all athletes have family members who don't approve. We also know that anytime we see a kid in a man's world he is accompanied by ice cream (see "Little Big League"). And by the end of this film you will know that this parade of clichés is not worth your time. 2 out of 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the critics say
Review: As a golfer who loves the game of golf I think this movie has been underrated. But even for those who are not golfers I think they will appreciate the story. The filming at St. Andrews is excellent and the first commercial filming that has ever been allowed. Be sure to watch the extras on the DVD, especially on the making of the film.
Rating:
Summary: King of Swings
Review: As powerful as the movie and Jim Caviezel's portrayal of Christ in The Passion of the Christ is, the movie IS NOT ENTERTAINING. Big Surprise! This movie is entertaining to watch because of Caviezel's subtle portrayal of Bobby Jones, the good supporting cast, the wonderful scenery, and the positive message of the movie. I'm definitely going to purchase the DVD, and I don't even like golf!
Rating: 
Summary: He was the best.
Review: Bobby Jones was the greatest golfer who ever lived. This film reminds us of that. It also makes it a point to prove that he was one of the most boring people in the world too. He was impeccably honest, brilliant, faithful to his wife and just happened to be an extraordinary golfer. Only golf fans would be interested in this movie in the first place, and since we already knew his achievements, there was never a climax hoping to see if he would make the 80 foot snaking putt in Scotland Yard. There were surprises, his early frustrations, the fact that he never turned pro, and his physical maladies. But, not enough interest to spend 2 hours watching it take place. Bobby Jones can't receieve enough credit as a golfer, as a film, however, it doesn't deserve much.
Rating:
Summary: The story of Bobby Jones as the patron saint of golf
Review: Bobby Jones was to golf as Babe Ruth was to baseball, but unlike the Bambino his greatest legacy still stands secure three-quarter of a century later. In 1930 he won what would come to be known as the Grand Slam, winning all four of the major golf tournaments in the same year. The feat has never been duplicated, although Tiger Woods did accomplish what is being called the "Tiger Slam," which is to hold all four titles at the same time although not in the same year. But Jones accomplished this feat as an amateur, and as is amply evidenced in this film, an "amateur" in the truest sense of the word, not to mention one that has all but been forgotten in contemporary sports.
Since Jim Caviezel filmed "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius" right after he finished "The Passion of the Christ," it has invited a lot of Jesus Jones/Bobby Christ jokes. Given how the actor presented a very human Jesus in the flashback's in Mel Gibson's movie, it would be rather ironic if his performance as Jones constitutes more of a saintly figure. But what really drives the notion that Bobby Jones is a holy figure in this movie is not Caviezel's performance but the musical score by James Horner, which sanctifies the character before he ever appears in the film and does not let up throughout the rest of the movie. From the time that the young Bobby Jones (Devon Gearhart) first picks up a golf club, to the teenager (Thomas Lewis) who first starts winning golf tournaments, the music makes it clear that he is destined for a greatness that amounts to deification. As such, this is one of the most counterproductive musical scores I have heard in quite some time (to wit, it is sub-par, but not in the good way, like on a golf course).
It is also ironic that this film comes out on DVD at a time when the two biggest stories in the world of sports are baseball players like Barry Bonds taking steroids and other things to enhance performance and the basketbrawl between the Indiana Pacers and the fans in Detroit. We see that Jones was plagued by physical problems as well as having a terrible temper, but he rises above such concerns in ways that seem beyond the capabilities of modern sports icons (the film hints that he might be an alcoholic but at the end we learn that he would eventually be crippled by a degenerative spinal disease). For that matter, the decision of Jones to walk away from competitive golf at the age of 28, having set a mark that has never been equaled, is eminently laudable, even more so when compared to the recent decision of football player Ricky Williams to retire in order to avoid being suspended for drug use.
There are several standard sport biopic subplots in "Bobby Jones" as well. He has an over protective mother (Clara Jones), and while his father (Dan Albright) encourages his love of golf, Bobby's grandfather (Brett Rice) strongly disapproves. Fortunately winning golf tournaments and becoming famous helps to solve such family problems. More important become Bobby's relationships with the woman he marries, Mary Malone (Claire Forlani), the reporter who covers his life, O.B. Keeler (Malcolm McDowell), and the man who is his arch nemesis on the golf course, Walter Hagen (Jeremy Northam). For the most part all of these people sit around and watch Jones work his miracles on the golf course, and the most memorable moments in the film tend to come when Hagen's face articulates what he cannot say, which is that he is neither the golfer that Bobby Jones nor the man.
In comparison to "Seabiscuit," the most successful sports biopic of recent years, "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius" is just too earnest in its depiction of greatness. The title of the film alone indicates they are engaging in overkill and the fact that the film was produced by a company called Bobby Jones Films LLC provides a big clue as to why his life is depicted with a reverence that is usually afforded only to Biblical figures. The final irony is that I watched "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius" the same day that I watched "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," because while both are loaded with sports clichés, the latter embraces them lightheartedly while in the former they become a burdesome cross to bear. However, they did get to film on the Old Course at St. Andrews and we do learn why there are 18 holes on a golf course, which are both good things (especially since they bring Robin William's routine on the origins of golf to mind).
Rating:
Summary: Fore the love of the game
Review: For as long as I can remember my goal in life was to be the starting third baseman for the Chicago White Sox. Which was an ambitious goal considering I never even started on my Little League teams. I always thought that if I was gifted in baseball that I would be willing to play without pay. I loved the game that much.Bobby Jones loved golf like I love baseball and he had the ability that matched his desire. He also had a life outside of Golf and was never content to be defined by what he accomplished as a player. Jim Caviezel is amazingly convincing as Bobby Jones. Caviezel has a remarkable ability to become the character he is portraying. His dead-on performance brings added poignancy to the narrative. The story is also aided by the strong performances of Claire Forlani as Jone's wife and Jeremy Northam as his main rival, Walter Hagen. In lesser hands these supporting roles could have been caricatures that did little to add to the pathos or the plot. Through these performance and through the extraordinary golf sequences the viewer comes away with an acute understanding of the love affair that people have with the games they play.
Rating:
Summary: Bobby Jones Integrity
Review: I am not a golfer, but seeing this movie made me want to play. I was impressed by the beauty of the golf courses. Bobby impressed me very much. I liked his sense of honesty. He is a good roll model for young men. This movie is a classic to me. When you want to come away from a movie feeling good, go see this one. The way the story was told was very good. From a small boy, and then growing up. I thought Jim Caviezel looked very much like Bobby. I was not bored at all.
Rating:
Summary: The critics are wrong...again.
Review: I loved this movie. First of all it is beautiful. The scenes shot at St. Andrews, Scotland are fabulous. This was the first movie ever filmed on the legendary St. Andrews course. It's also a compelling glimpse of importance of high personal character, and how our baser qualities can be overcome. We need more movies like this, which is probably why the critics from most of the liberal publications hated and belittled it.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Cool, sometimes slow
Review: I rather enjoyed this film called "Bobby Jones." I am a mild golf fan, but I did not know a lot about Jones, imagine that! I can remember wanting to see this film for awhile when I heard Jim Caviezel talking about the film on the Rush Limbaugh radio show. It certainly was interesting to learn about Jones, even when the pace of the movie was a tad slow at times.
There are some important lessons that are stressed in this movie about overcoming adversity, money ruining sports, and "there are more important things than winning championships." Another thing is the costumes are cool of course and remind me of my favorite golfer, the late Payne Stewart.
This is not an awesome, life changing film, but it is still a lot better than most of the films that come out of Hollywood. There is no doubt that the film's treatment of Jones was a tad saintly, and some moments are slow and detatched, but in the end it was pretty cool and inspiring.
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