Review: 'It Ain't Over' puts Yogi Berra back in the well-deserved spotlight
You've heard many of his famous words. "It ain't over till it's over" is, hands down, the most well-worn of the bunch. Yogi-isms, as they've come to be called, have leaked into American vernacular in the 70 years since famed baseball player, manager, coach and general pop culture personality Yogi Berra first gained prominence. He is so prolifically quotable, in "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations," the longest-lived collection of quotations, Berra has eight references, more than any living president. There's even a popular cartoon bear with a suspiciously similar name who, it is rumored, used Yogi for inspiration.
But "It Ain't Over," the latest feature documentary from writer-director Sean Mullin and executive produced by Berra's granddaughter Lindsay Berra, slices through that noise. Past the accolades and jokes, the public endorsements and brand ambassadorships, Berra was a kid from St. Louis, Missouri. Born Lorenzo Pietro Berra to two Italian immigrants with a handful of siblings, Yogi made his success look easy, inevitable even, but there were certainly tribulations. Underestimated by everyone due to his stature (a meager 5'7") and unconventional appearance (his manager Casey Stengel has described him as “a very strange fellow of very remarkable abilities"), Berra was no laughing matter. He joined the Navy during World War II and stormed Omaha Beach during the Normandy landings, earning him a Purple Heart.
Following his service, Berra returned to the United States and began playing in the minor league until the Yankees got wind of his powerful batting average and ferocity behind the plate as catcher. The rest, as they say, was history, with Berra winning 10 World Series as a player, a record still intact to this day, and spending decades in the public eye as a MLB coach, sports commentator and television personality. He married his lifelong sweetheart who was from his hometown, had three kids and maintained steadfast friends throughout his illustrious career. His life, unlike many high profile athletes and celebrities, was uncomplicated and transgression-free. He was a wholesome figure who is a testament to talent, drive and a fearsome work ethic.
Berra was known to be an inoffensively loud but always good-natured personality who attracted national attention. In that same brash, assured way, this documentary proves to be a fascinating look for viewers, not because it is overly produced or features any shock-and-awe revelations about the baseball player. "It Ain't Over" encapsulates a person and an era that, for many, prove to be a great comfort, a return to a familiar place for a hearty meal after a long absence. There is something intimate and, hence, emotional about such fond reminiscing of a simpler time. The film, through archival footage and earnest testimonial by his family and closest friends, fully embodies Berra's spirit.
"Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical." "In baseball, you don't know nothing." "I always thought that record would stand until it was broken." Often oxymoronic but always infused with universally-relatable nuggets of truth, Yogi-isms perfectly define Berra's temperament and overall charm. To help cement Berra's legacy which, as of late, was lacking the respect his family believed was owed to a three-time MVP, an 18-time All-Star, and 13-time World Series champ (including 3 as a coach), "It Ain't Over" lays out the argument that, like Berra in real life, you can be an over-the-top character and still be among the greats in the game.
Though there wasn't infidelity or immense scandal plaguing his personal life, Berra is still often overlooked by baseball fans and historians who ignore the seismic force he was in the sport, a coldsore on Berra's legacy that granddaughter Lindsay sought to remedy. The film opens with one such snub that encapsulates the issue. In 2015, months before Berra's death at the age of 90, the MLB created a "Franchise Four" contest, allowing fans to vote for who they thought were the greatest living baseball players. Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Johnny Bench made the final cut; Berra's name was never even mentioned. As the film progresses from there, identifying his positive contributions to the game - not to mention his progressive, inclusive stance on race relations which was relatively controversial at that time - it becomes painfully obvious that, beyond baseball, coaching, the stand-off with his longtime home team (the Yankees) and the chocolate milk endorsements, Berra loved hard and was well-loved in return. And it ain't over when you have those you love carrying the torch of your memory.
"It Ain't Over" is in theaters now.