Eephus

This is bound to be an unpopular opinion, but, to me, fewer things in life are more boring than baseball - except perhaps for movies about baseball (with a few exceptions like "The Natural" (1984), "A League of Their Own" (1992) and "42" (2013)). And that foregoing assessment, in my view, is more than applicable to this positively dreadful debut feature from writer-director Carson Lund. This alleged comedy tells the story of two men's recreational baseball teams in a small Massachusetts town who embark on playing the last-ever game to be held at a local ballpark that's about to be torn down to make room for construction of a new school. The implausibly overlong matchup, brought about by a series of completely unfunny incidents that stretch out the length of the game, goes on from midday through the afternoon and into the crisp, chilly fall evening wherein the players try to continue competing in the dark (gee, now there's a load of laughs for you). There are also numerous talky, uninteresting conversations among the players in the dugout, along with views from the sidelines, where a handful of passing spectators offer their observations about what's transpiring on the field. These sequences do little to add to the film and serve only to pad an already-tedious narrative. The sad part in all this is that the premise truly had the potential to make for a fun and heartwarming picture. Unfortunately, though, the absolutely flat dialogue, lame plot elements and undercooked character development prevent that from materializing. While this offering admittedly features some impressive cinematography and a well-conceived production design, there's not much else to commend here. That is, of course, unless one compliments the creators on their fitting choice of title for the film: An "eephus," for those who aren't aware of what it is, is the name for an obscure form of curveball, one that's thrown deceptively slowly, almost to the point where it lulls the batter into a sense of mesmerized complacency, as if to put the hitter to sleep. And, on that score, the filmmaker has truly succeeded in crafting a picture that lives up to its namesake where audiences are concerned. All I can say is that I'm truly glad that I didn't pay box office ticket prices to see this one.

As a lover of baseball, I was really interested to see what a new hardball flick (there being less and less of those these days) might bring to the table. Alas, I found Eephus more boring than the poignant emotion it was going for.

For a very basic overview, Eephus tells the story of a men's rec league baseball game on their beloved small-town field--which is about to be torn down for a new school to spring forth on its grounds. Through players leaving, a lack of baseballs & umpires (and talent, generally), and the encroaching darkness, the final game stretches far longer than anyone anticipates.

I clearly see what Eephus is trying to accomplish--a sort of minimalist commentary on the sport and camaraderie of baseball at a local level. One character says something to the extent that baseball is like "waiting for something to happen--and then it's over" and while that is a fun metaphor it doesn't work as the basis of a feature film.

Instead, Eephus is mostly boring and lacking any of the necessary plot or character development that could have made it interesting. A cardinal sin is that it features far too many characters to ever really let attachments form. This whole flick should have been about the uniqueness or outright oddity of grown men playing a kid's game in their spare time, but director Carson Lund never quite gets it there because there are just too many players and their "backstories" are either too droll or too brief to make much of an impact.

Eephus seems like a film that was entirely built around the "baseball is boring" criticism often lobbed that sport's way. So, the filmmakers here try to "get inside" that tedium and make an interesting film. But, at least for me, it (somewhat ironically) ended up exactly that: boring.

Truth be told, I am rarely truly bored by any film. I can usually find something to hold my interest. But with Eephus, I found myself checking "how much was left" on more than one occasion because everything is so sparse within its construction.

A charming, memorable cast makes this movie special. Every actor gets his time at bat, and by the end of the movie I was amazed how well I knew and understood these characters. The small town charm and loving tribute to the passing of time and legacies contribute to a story that pulls you in. I can't say it's an edge-of-your-seat thriller, but you will still care every time a character steps up to the plate (literally and figuratively). In many ways the movie reminded me of a David Mamet play. I was also impressed by the cinematography; the final 15 minutes of the movie are a technical marvel of lighting and camerawork. Overall an excellent film!

This film was so incredibly boring. I didn't find any of the dialogue funny and I didn't hear anyone else laughing either. I've never looked at the time so often in my life. Just couldn't wait for it to be over. I was very tempted to leave after the first 15 minutes, but I thought surely this must be leading to some kind of interesting development. Alas, no. This film might work for those who enjoy movies with inane dialogue, no plot to speak of, and ridiculous acting. The Fall New England scenery was nice (looking for something positive here). Honestly one of the worst movies I've ever seen..

This is a wonderful little movie that really hit home. If you've ever spent any time around baseball and especially an adult rec league, you can relate, and the fact that my teenager laughed along with me is a testament to it's appeal. Amongst all of the big budget movies, the realistic dialogue, characters you can relate to and beautiful scenery make it a refreshing departure form the norm. Baseball fans, and especially Red Sox aficionados will appreciate and enjoy the two cameos of Joe Castiglione and Bill Lee. While the characters aren't deeply developed, they are relatable. The true beauty of this movie is it's simplicity.