Game 6

Taken into account their extremely low budget and tight filming schedule, Game 6 is quite an achievement. It is a zany, delightful little slice of life film set around the prolific World Series '89 in which the much maligned Red Sox struggle to end their curse.

Michael Keaton is a welcome return as Nicky Rogan, a successful writer whose play is debuting the same night as Game 6. But, throughout the day, Nicky struggles with his mistress, his rebellious teen daughter, his apparently put-upon wife, his old friend, his ailing father, and an eccentric critic famous for sinking plays and ending writer's careers. Nicky's faith is in the Sox, however, but what happens if and when the Sox fail...

seek out this little film, it's worth a viewing. All of the acting is top-notch and, with a film of limited means, the acting is what ultimately saves the day.

Based on a true story, a dark and heavily emotional drama about a playwrite Nicky in 1986 NY who loves the Red Sox so much, he skips the opening night of his play to see game 6 of the 1986 world series between the Mets and the Sox. Nicky has a series of conversations with a myriad of people he knows and meets in the days leading up to game 6. They all help Nicky deal with life's stresses consisting of a particularly nasty Broadway critic who has nothing good to say about anyone and kills the careers of anyone unfortunate enough to fall under his poison pen. His impending divorce over his long affair. A major actor that is forgetting his lines due to a parasitic illness. The beginning of his estrangement of his daughter over the divorce and his neglect of their relationship. The excellent acting envelopes you as the slow and deliberate plot plays out. If quality of acting is important to you, you should see this movie.

I think it would be fair to call this a cult film to some degree. It really will work best for a certain audience. If you like quirky films and baseball, this is something you'll almost definitely enjoy. Keaton is great and the writing is certainly somewhat unique and interesting. I appreciate this film a good bit. It has a fresh sort of feel to it because it is quite an unusual mix of art, baseball and life all framed in a pretty offbeat way. If it sounds interesting to you, don't miss it!

7/10.

Any good baseball fan will tell you exactly where he was during the sixth game of the 1986 World Series when Mookie Wilson's ground ball rolled through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs. The infamous error gave the Mets a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the game and ultimately the Series. Director Michael Hoffman and producer Amy Chamberlain made a movie around the event, which loses little of its luster after the Red Sox improbable World Series win this past October.

Michael Keaton stars as a successful playwright and lifelong Red Sox fan whose opening night of his latest Broadway play coincides with the fateful Game 6. These events serve as a catalyst for the exploration of love, marriage, sex, parenthood, friendship, hope, despair, values and much more. Of note, Keaton was one of the most entertaining stars I have ever seen at a Sundance Q&A.

Although it drags in parts, the movie has a lot of heart. Keaton, along with Griffin Dunne and Robert Downey Jr., provide fine performances that bring the script to life. This will be a must-see for everyone in Beantown, as well as all those perennially cursed Sox fans nationwide who found meaning in their collective suffering for so many years. My wife couldn't see what all the fuss was about; but I understood it perfectly.

I wasn't at any of the 1986 World Series games. But I vividly remember listening to Game 6 on the radio, and having to stop and collect myself after the Buckner error. (I've always liked underdogs, so the Sox are a perfect match for my affections.) I did, however, attend the nearly as legendary Game 5 of the American League Champion Series that year. The Red Sox were down 3-1 in the series, but battled back to beat the Angels at Anaheim with a dramatic ninth-inning two-out home run by Dave Henderson, who had been brought in as a defensive replacement. The Sox went on to win the AL Championship and meet the Mets in the Series.

Gene Mauch, the Angel's manager, was widely regarded as one of the best in baseball. But he'd never been to a World Series. He was one out away in 1986, but fate called the score. He retired in 1987 and went to his grave having managed 26 years and 3942 games without ever reaching the October Classic. The pitcher who gave up Henderson's homer was Donnie Moore, a 20-save reliever that year. Moore was never the same after that fateful at-bat. He retired shortly afterward, drifted into alcoholism and committed suicide in 1989.

Nearly 20 years later, I can recite these details with clarity and emotion. For those of us that grew up on baseball, it was never just a game. These events hold special meaning in our lives. When you understand that, you know that Game 6 is more than a movie. It is a homage to seasons that end in despair, but never fail to start again with hope. Such is life.

I don't consider myself to be a pretentious film snob; but let's face it, I don't consider myself a lot of things. I was scanning the local (State College, Pa) paper for new movies arriving the theaters this week. Well it seemed to be the typical dredge that the February/March season usually puts out: Basic Instinct 2, Slither, ATL (more like ATL=WTF) but then I saw a movie I never heard of before: Game 6.

Now like I said, I do not fancy myself as being pretentious, but seeing a movie I was unfamiliar with was a tad....unsettling. Quick Robin-To the Batcave (or IMDb, in this case). I found a background for this seemingly forgotten '05 flick. I was intrigued by its premise and its unusual cast and so as they say...is where our tale begins. Game 6 is not an amazing Oscar-award winning film, but it is a decent piece of cinema to recommend. Like a slightly tarnished gem , when hit in the right light, this movie really shines. Although some moments feel a tad esoteric and ambiguous, for the most part we are give a unique, humorous, and real, slice of life. Don't miss this movie for what it isn't, see it for what is.