The House of Steinbrenner (2010)
Love them or hate them, the Yankees remain the most glorified team in American sports history. Led by the Babe, the Iron Horse, the Yankee Clipper and the Mick, they dominated baseball for more than four decades before the legendary franchise sagged under the ownership of CBS. Then in 1973, a 42-year-old shipbuilder named George Steinbrenner, a man now as iconic to his team as the pinstripes on its uniforms, headed a group that purchased the Yankees, and turned that investment into a billion-dollar business. Since 1923, the ‘House that Ruth Built’ has been the epicenter of the baseball world, inspiring generations of fans to maintain loyalties through good times and bad. But with a deteriorating facility and an eye towards 21st century style revenues, Steinbrenner was inspired to build an impressive new stadium. While the Yankees kept their Bronx address at 161st and River Avenue, the new ballpark marked the end of one grand era with the hope of launching another.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Good concept, poorly executed.
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
"But for all the glory and riches, the Steinbrenner legacy is also mixed with wasteful and embarrassing spending and countless episodes of tabloid-style soap." The above statement is taken from the summary of this episode of "30 for 30" from IMDb. Had this been the focus of the film, I might have appreciated it more--as I really would have loved to have heard all the dirt. Instead, the fans' love/hate relationship with George Steinbrenner was only mentioned in passing. Instead, the film is mostly about the Steinbrenner era passing--with the retirement of George, his death and mostly the creation of a new Yankee Stadium. It's all very nostalgic but also paints a very superficial picture--with some of the more negative aspects of the franchise mentioned only in passing or not at all. So, if you want a critical analysis of all this, this isn't exactly the film for you. It's more just a homage to the wonderfulness of the Yankees. Great if you are a Yankee fan but not enough to warrant seeking this episode out if you aren't. I really would have loved to hear more about high ticket prices, the Billy Martin saga and what non-Yankees thought of all this.
30 for 30: The House of Steinbrenner (2010) *** (out of 4) Nice documentary covering George Streinbreener and the final year of Yankee Stadium before the team moved across the street. This documentary gives you a quick rundown of George buying the team for $10 million and eventually turning them into a billion dollar property. Along the way he made many enemies and at one point was considered the most hated man in baseball. The documentary covers quite a wide range of topics but there's no question is that one goal was to show the "King George" did a lot of great things that he never got credit for. I think the most memorable moments of this documentary come with the various fans being interviewed and sharing their memories of the old stadium. They could have called this movie THE HOUSE OF TEARS because it's rather amazing to see how many of the people got choked up reliving their memories of the stadium. A lot of the stories deal with sons who remember their fathers taking them to the game and it's stories like this that really makes this documentary worth viewing. The film also does a nice job at showing us what was going on at the old stadium as they were taking it down. I really enjoyed all the behind-the-scenes footage of everything being removed from the stadium and there's a rather funny sequence of them packing up the pitching mound. Countless current and former Yankees are interviewed and we even get some media guys who aren't that happy with the new stadium. We are there for the opening day game where many fans are in love with the stadium while many others fear it is for rich people and the tickets are being taken away from the common fan.