DeNiro (as Bruce Pearson) and Moriarity (as Henry "Author" Wiggen) really shine in their roles and have great chemistry in this story about a journeyman catches stricken with Hodgkin's disease, and his friendship with his star pitcher teammate. I don't understand why this doesn't get more mention when people talk about great baseball movies. Maybe it's because while baseball dominates the scenes, it's not really a baseball movie.
A few scenes really stand out to me in this movie as moving and really well done.
1) Near the opening, Bruce burns all of his old press clippings at home after getting the diagnosis. It's as if since his future looks limited, his past no longer has meaning to him.
2) Bruce's father, a simple man like his son, visits and has a talk with Wiggen. Mr. Pearson's struggle to accept his son's fate and then coming out with the words to express himself, coupled with Wiggen's emotions during and after the talk is a marvelous scene.
3) The pennant clinching game. IThe ump sees Bruce struggling and uses the excuse of brushing off the plate to talk to him. "Don't slow down the game. You all right? You don't look all right." Wiggen is at his best, pouring in strike after strike as the pace picks up, and then it abruptly goes to slow motion with a pop up in front of the plate. The whole game sequence is very well done.
The music really set the tone for the movie too, but if you don't like "Streets of Laredo" you won't appreciate it.
A few scenes really stand out to me in this movie as moving and really well done.
1) Near the opening, Bruce burns all of his old press clippings at home after getting the diagnosis. It's as if since his future looks limited, his past no longer has meaning to him.
2) Bruce's father, a simple man like his son, visits and has a talk with Wiggen. Mr. Pearson's struggle to accept his son's fate and then coming out with the words to express himself, coupled with Wiggen's emotions during and after the talk is a marvelous scene.
3) The pennant clinching game. IThe ump sees Bruce struggling and uses the excuse of brushing off the plate to talk to him. "Don't slow down the game. You all right? You don't look all right." Wiggen is at his best, pouring in strike after strike as the pace picks up, and then it abruptly goes to slow motion with a pop up in front of the plate. The whole game sequence is very well done.
The music really set the tone for the movie too, but if you don't like "Streets of Laredo" you won't appreciate it.