Baseball is a game of legends. Jackie Robinson. Lou Gehrig. Nick Punto. The list goes on and on, but George Herman "Babe" Ruth is undeniably the most deified player in the history of the game. He entered baseball around the same time that the Black Sox scandal was tearing it down. Babe's larger-than-life personality and record-breaking feats on the diamond helped to heal those wounds and make him the biggest name in baseball, if not America. 

"The Babe" follows Ruth's life from the day he was dropped off at an orphanage at age seven all the way to his death in 1948. From the outset he was labeled "incorrigible," and whether it was just fact or him trying to live up the label, that is largely how he comes across throughout the entire film. His talent is too good to be ignored, but everything else you get with the package is troublesome. Okay, he seems to be good with young fans. I'll give him that. 

With John Goodman in the title role and a number of other notable names like Kelly McGillis, Bruce Boxleitner, and James Cromwell the acting is solid enough. However, the movie is far from great. Ruth's story has a lot of room for compassion and tragedy, but "The Babe," just never really gets us there. He's more of a caricature of the ballplayer and ruffian than a guy for which you feel sympathy or respect. There's not a lot of actual baseball played on the screen and when it is, it is not terribly believable. I've always liked Goodman and I wanted to like this movie more, but it's just a bit too ordinary for a legend. 

It's a watchable film, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Right now you can track it down on Peacock if you're a subscriber.

Run Time: 1 hr 55 min

Scorecard: Bloop single.

Best line: "Last year I hit 59 home runs never went to bed before 3 and I drank all night."