If you love Roberto Clemente, and you want to see his story told in a creative way with passion and power, this is the film for you. The director, Academy Award-considered filmmaker Richard Rossi, grew up in Pittsburgh hanging out with the Pirates in their locker room. He has a deep love for Clemente that comes through every scene of this fantastic film. Olympian Jamie Nieto captures Clemente. He nails his accent and his physical bearing, including Clemente's rolling of the neck and back movements as a result of his injuries. He expresses the compassion and grace of Clemente. Excellent casting! Marilinda Rivera, (a Puerto Rican model so photogenic she won the Bravo competition TV show "Project Runway"), is beautiful on screen as his wife Vera Clemente and has strong sexual & spiritual chemistry with Nieto. The film masterfully blends real news footage (of the Great Clemente, Pittsburgh, & Puerto Rico), with the dramatized scenes by the talented cast. If you're not an intelligent person and want a big budget mindless movie with explosions and boobs and car chases, this is not the film for you. If you want a movie that is a huge epic extravaganza that spent millions showing every detail of Clemente from birth to death with no artistry, this isn't the film for you. If you want a movie that makes you feel the feelings of love that Rossi and others have for Clemente, that captures Roberto's love for his family, his fans, and his heart for the world, you'll love this film. If you only watch mainstream movies with lots of special effects at the local cinema multiplex, you may not have the heart and soul for this film. If you like independent cinema from maverick directors, you'll love this movie. Anyone can make a movie with millions of dollars, but it takes more creative ingenuity to make a movie on a shoestring and come up with a film this gripping. I liked 42, but I love 21 Clemente Stories more. Yes, 42 had more money and name actors. But it focused primarily on the racial issue. "Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories" is a film that tells Clemente's story on so many levels; overcoming racist reporters, falling in love with Vera, making a spiritual journey beyond baseball to become a great humanitarian. Clemente was an artist, he played with grace. So it's fitting the first film on his life is a work of art, made by volunteers as a ministry of grace.
