Yogi Berra may be known to must for his “Yogi-isms,” but it is important to understand that he is SO much more than that. Even outside of his athletic achievements, Lawrence Peter Berra was nothing outside of an amazing human from his commitment to his family to the friend he was to everyone he met. Taking one of his most famous sayings to its title, It Ain’t Over is all of the things Yogi.
I am not afraid to say that my co-host, Alex Barnhill, may have a more comprehensive review given his depth of knowledge of the man so make sure to check out his review on our website as well. For me, I learned more about him as a player than anything else. I have always known him from the pop culture aspect of his may appearances in all kinds of media, but I was fascinated to see the truly amazing numbers he put up as a player as well as his time serving his country in wartime, his astronomical level of integrity, and the love he has for his family both by blood and by experience. To say that he has seen and done it all while always staying true to himself is an understatement, and this documentary does its best in just under one hundred minutes to cover most of it. From archive footage to interviews with his friends, family, teammates, and those who played for him as a manager, this is a great picture of Berra’s personal and professional legacy.
One of the interviewees is also his granddaughter and producer of the film in Lindsay Berra. If there is a criticism to this film, it lies with her on-camera. I have no doubt the love and passion that she has for her grandfather, but in her interview segments it just felt like she was reading from an off-camera script instead of just speaking from the heart. Perhaps her telling of his story would have been better served in voiceover than interview to keep the story itself told smoother. This in no way took away from my enjoyment of It Ain’t Over, and that is a really good thing.
Even if you are not the type of person that does documentaries, this is one I truly believe should be seen. Both entertaining and informative, It Ain’t Over documents Yogi Berra’s Hall of Fame career and life celebrates him on every level. And by the end of it if you still don’t understand the impact he had, the music played over the end credits should solidify that for you.