The Curse of the Bambino (2003)

The Curse of the Bambino (2003)*** 1/2 (out of 4) Funny documentary about whether or not the Boston Red Sox's troubles are really due to a curse put on the team by Babe Ruth when the owner sold him to the New York Yankees. One interesting thing is that after the trade the Yankees would go onto win twenty-six championships while the Red Sox would just have one major collapse after another (up to the time this documentary was made). Fans of the Red Sox will probably be in tears watching this documentary but at the same time there's a level of comedy that runs throughout the thing. Various Boston writers, famous fans and regular fans are interviewed about their thoughts on various slumps that has happened over eight decades including the collapses in 1978 and the legendary on in 1986 against the Mets. People like Steven Wright, Michael Chiklis, Denis Leary, Jeffrey Lyons, Leigh Montville, Robert Creamer (Babe Ruth biographer) and Peter Casey are interviewed and share their opinions on the subject. Casey even managed to see Babe Ruth play so his comments are especially interesting. Overall this is a very entertaining documentary taking a look at the various problems that have hit the Red Sox over the years and it tries to show both sides of the coin in regards to the curse. We get "proof" that it exists but we're also given several reasons that show the problem isn't a curse but the organization itself. This includes the various race problems that haunted the team including the fact that they turned down Jackie Robinson and Willie Mayes. There's also talk about other factors that could have played into the various problems. It's certainly fun hearing from the fans and especially as they recall that 1986 World Series game six.

Great presentation of a fascinating subject. Having seen this documentary several times on HBO, I've managed to get even non-sports fans to sit and watch.As a fan of baseball, but not a Boston or Yankees devotee, this documentary did a wonderful job of explaining to me the true depth of the rivalry. Everyone knows the Red Sox hate the Yankees and vice versa -- but I had no idea of the extent of it, or the real histories behind the teams.Those who say this documentary is about curses and silly superstitions, didn't pay close enough attention. It's about the two cultures, two communities clashing, exposing their strengths and weaknesses, about how competition and hope are an inherent part of the human condition and last, like baseball, unchanged across the years.Enjoyed Affleck's narration and the organized and balanced structure of the final show. Very funny. Great editing on the game recaps, too -- well done.

This is a wonderful documentary. It is fun to watch from beginning to end. It shows you the entire history of the Boston Red Sox up until 2003. Ben Afflec is the perfect narrator for this film. He speaks from the heart and makes watching this great film even more exciting. As far a documentaries go I would rate this a 7.9 out of 10. 10 being the best. The Ali documentary "When We Where Kings" is a ten, Curse of The Bambino isn't far behind. The only negative thing I have to say about this film is, they should have waited until 2004 to make this film, then the 2003 ALCS against the Yankees and the A-Rod mess up could have been added to the mound of failure depicted in this film. I highly recommend Curse of The Bambino. It is fun to watch from beginning to end.

There is no curse.HBO spent an hour documenting something that doesn't exist, and they didn't even do a very good job of it. The Boston Red Sox have a long, colorful history, and it's true that part of the story is their inability to win a championship for nearly 90 years despite getting agonizingly close about once a generation. But that's only part of the story. 86 years since 1918 and the best HBO can come up with is "The Curse"? There's so much more than that to this team. If HBO wanted to make a documentary about the Boston Red Sox, there really was the potential for a meaningful examination of a historic club that has a very special bond with its fans all across New England.Instead, we get an hour of sob stories set to depressing background music. I'm sure Affleck did this for a laugh, but he sounds like a fool narrating this nonsense. It's not even an accurate representation of the fans. One has to wonder how many hours of interviews they left on the cutting room floor, with most fans probably acknowledging that the team's had some bad breaks but that it just makes one anticipate the following season even more. Few Sox fans would say that Dan Shaughnessy speaks for them.And even fewer believe in a curse.