Pride of the Yankees

Pride of the Yankees marks another turn by Gary Cooper as a man considered by many to be an American hero. This time Yankee hall of famer Lou Gehrig. The film, which premiered little more than a year after the real Gehrig passed away, gives a wholly positive portrait of the man. Of course that's not really a problem, but the film doesn't have a lot to say about him total. The baseball games themselves are given little weight, and it mostly just gives brief glimpses during various points in his career. The focal point is on Gehrig relationship with his wife, played by the always excessively charming Teresa Wright. This in itself is kept pretty simple, but to be fair it is appropriately sweet as well. The film technically does not get going until Gehrig's fatal diagnosis which is only the tail end of the film. This does allow it to end on a highpoint which is Gehrig's farewell speech, and to his credit Cooper completely delivers in the moment. The film is a pleasant enough, and moving film. It isn't much but it isn't bad either.
3.5/5