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—— How To Make Money Selling Drugs Jun 26
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The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1999)

tomatometer

97

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 60
Fresh: 58 | Rotten: 2

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is an affectionate, often very funny portrait of a baseball pioneer.

94

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 18
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 1

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is an affectionate, often very funny portrait of a baseball pioneer.

audience

72

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 849

My Rating

Movie Info

Hank Greenberg was the first great Jewish star in baseball; at a time when the game was still racially segregated, Greenberg became a first-class hitter for the Detroit Tigers (a host city not always known for its tolerance, as the career of Father Charles Coughlin will prove), nearly beating Babe Ruth's home run record and becoming one of the game's best loved figures (he was also a friend and confidant to Jackie Robinson as he was breaking baseball's color barrier). Hank Greenberg became a

Oct 16, 2001

Cowboy Booking International

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All Critics (60) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (2) | DVD (8)

Aviva Kempner hits a grand slam in her thrilling documentary about baseball, about a great baseball player, about Jews in America and about the country itself in the 1930s and 1940s.

March 20, 2013 Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a gem of a baseball documentary because it illuminates what the Hall of Famer's splendid career meant away from the ballpark.

March 19, 2013 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Aviva Kempner's warm and intelligent mash note to a man who clearly deserved it.

March 19, 2013 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Aviva Kempner's documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg does what a historical documentary should do. It tells an inspiring story while bringing the past to life and illuminating issues that persist today.

March 19, 2013 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Aviva Kempner's documentary celebration of the Detroit Tigers first baseman defines one of those instances-- rarer than sportswriters admit -- in which a champion athlete becomes a genuine, all-around hero.

March 19, 2013 Full Review Source: New Yorker
New Yorker
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Hank Greenberg is an unabashed paean and just a joy to watch. It should be required viewing for all modern athletes who disregard their role-model status.

October 28, 2011 Full Review Source: Seattle Times
Seattle Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A moving tribute to an overlooked American icon who invariably exhibited an admirable combination of integrity, humility and loyalty.

April 20, 2013 Full Review Source: AALBC.com
AALBC.com

Greenberg led by quiet example -- and left an indelible mark on thousands of young lives, not to mention a plaque in baseball's Hall of Fame.

March 19, 2013 Full Review Source: Baltimore Sun
Baltimore Sun

A warmly human look at the career of major-league baseball's most famous Jewish star.

March 21, 2011 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor
Christian Science Monitor

This gem will lift the spirits of baseball fans.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

Emphasizes the positive moments in his career, and the film is loose-limbed and ingratiatingâ"much like Greenberg himself, who appears in interviews throughout his career.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review
Sacramento News & Review

A fine, straightforward tribute to a sports giant who faced blatant prejudice and paved away for the likes Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and other minorities...

August 3, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Kempner's movie is not for baseball fanatics only. 'Greenberg' paints a vivid portrait of America in the first half of the century...

March 31, 2007 Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews
rec.arts.movies.reviews

An excellent example of the kind of sound, conventional documentary that's consistently interesting and informative, even if it never tries anything new.

July 24, 2006 Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion
One Guy's Opinion

If you're a baseball fan, you shouldn't miss this film.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid
Combustible Celluloid

I'm from Detroit myself and I used to go see Tiger games as a kid, and I really enjoyed this fascinating documentary.

December 8, 2002 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Film Threat

Audience Reviews for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg

Hank Greenberg was good enough to have me commemorate his career on my pretend baseball hall of fame. Not that I had ever seen him play but his stats seemed impressive. Not the legend that Ruth was probably because he played in Detroit, Greenberg's story is very memorable. Likely inspired Jewish stars like Sandy Koufax in the next generation.
May 31, 2010
John Ballantine

Super Reviewer

Outstanding story of legendary Jewish slugger Hank Greenberg who excelled at the sport of baseball in a time when many people held his religion against him. The film features many interviews with prominent fans like Walter Matthau & Alan Dershowitz, as well as family, teammates, and Hammerin' Hank himself in archive footage interviews. Being from Michigan, it is also a nice historical look back at Detroit and it's professional ballclub.
August 22, 2009
wolverineland
Curtis Reynolds
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