This movie was recently added to InstantWatch on Netflix, and because I'm a sucker for any movies having to do with baseball, I decided to watch it. Because the trailer was only about a minute long, I didn't quite know what to expect. What it turned out to be was an incredibly depressing tale of a washed-up minor league relief pitcher who finds himself mentoring a rookie in the post-war era of America.
Roy Dean Bream (Russ) has been in the game for a long time, and aside from one day in the Big Leagues, has spent his career bouncing around in the Minors. He has no close friends and knows in his heart that this days in baseball are numbered. Enter a rookie pitcher, Tyrone Debray (Plummer), who finds himself being mentored by the older pitcher. Instantly, the two form an incredible bond, and the older pitcher feels as if life may be worth living. Unfortunately for Roy Dean, the team's GM (played by Emmy Nominee Jeffrey Tambor) has it in for the veteran and seeks to release him from the one thing that he truly loves: being a ballplayer.
The acting is pretty solid by all, though Russ is definitely the star of the show. It is the good acting, as well as some great moments (including a scene toward the end with Russ pitching to the backstop in the empty stadium) that make up for the fact that it is just downright depressing at times. The very end of the movie, in my opinion, does no justice to the rest of it and that's the unfortunate part. Either way, I'd still probably recommend it to anyone who loves the greatest game on God's Green Earth.
Roy Dean Bream (Russ) has been in the game for a long time, and aside from one day in the Big Leagues, has spent his career bouncing around in the Minors. He has no close friends and knows in his heart that this days in baseball are numbered. Enter a rookie pitcher, Tyrone Debray (Plummer), who finds himself being mentored by the older pitcher. Instantly, the two form an incredible bond, and the older pitcher feels as if life may be worth living. Unfortunately for Roy Dean, the team's GM (played by Emmy Nominee Jeffrey Tambor) has it in for the veteran and seeks to release him from the one thing that he truly loves: being a ballplayer.
The acting is pretty solid by all, though Russ is definitely the star of the show. It is the good acting, as well as some great moments (including a scene toward the end with Russ pitching to the backstop in the empty stadium) that make up for the fact that it is just downright depressing at times. The very end of the movie, in my opinion, does no justice to the rest of it and that's the unfortunate part. Either way, I'd still probably recommend it to anyone who loves the greatest game on God's Green Earth.