EXCLUSIVE: Yogi Berra once remarked, “You can observe a lot by watching.” That was one of but many classic Yogi-isms that have become part of the American vernacular. Another one: “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
The truth is you can observe a lot by watching the documentary It Ain’t Over, which makes its world premiere today at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film directed by Sean Mullin paints a biographical portrait of the New York Yankees legend, who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Italian immigrants, and became a D-Day veteran even before he embarked on his professional career. It makes the case that affection for the affable ballplayer and delight at his aphorisms (another example: “It’s dejà vu all over again”) have overshadowed his incredible accomplishments on the diamond.
Billy Crystal, one of Berra’s many admirers interviewed in the film, notes, “He was the most overlooked superstar in the history of baseball.”
Indeed, Berra won 10 World Series titles as a player, more than any other major leaguer, and he won additional titles as a coach. Footage in the film reveals his exceptional skill as a hitter, who despite only being 5’ 7” jacked more than 350 home runs. He was also an iron man behind the plate, often catching 150 games a season, and possessed a baseball mind of incredible acuity, always aware of opposing players’ weaknesses which gave Yankee pitchers a decided edge.
Berra’s sons, his granddaughter Lindsay Berra (an executive produce of the film), and two of Yogi’s nieces share their memories and insights about him in the documentary. Fellow Yankees greats who got to know him also appear in the film, including Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly and Willie Randolph, as do broadcasters Vin Scully and Bob Costas, and New Yorker sportswriter Roger Angell (who died last month at the age of 101).
Yankees fans can turn Saturday into something of a double-header by catching the film and a game. It Ain’t Over premieres at 2 PM at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, while the AL East-leading Yanks are home tonight at Yankee Stadium to play the Chicago Cubs.
It Ain’t Over also screens at Cinépolis on Tuesday, June 14 and Friday, June 17. It screens Sunday, June 19 at the Tribeca Film Center.
Watch an exclusive clip from the documentary above, featuring Berra and Jeter, two of the greatest to ever wear Yankee pinstripes.
