Eephus

EEPHUS (2025) Like the pitch it's named after, Carson Lund's EEPHUS is a slow erratic curveball that sneaks up on you. Two baseball teams gather to play an organized pick-up game one afternoon. An old man sets up a card table to keep score. An even older gentleman takes his seat - pretty much alone with the sparse "crowd". A grumpy for-hire umpire reluctantly takes the field. A food vendor hawks pizza by the slice. The teams are made up by a motley crew of middle-aged townies and a few younger players some of whom may still harbor thoughts of semi-pro ball.

They are gathered in a rundown park, Soldiers Field, that has seen better days. The waning rays of the autumn sun fall on the colorful foliage as Halloween beckons in this small New England town. It's the last game to be played there as the stadium will be torn down to make way for a new school. The nearest similar playground is a half-hour drive away.

The narrator is legendary Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman who drops pithy quotes from the legends of the game such as Babe Ruth and Yogi Berra. Wiseman's participation is approapriate for Lund takes a semi-documentary approach, favoring observation over narrative. The film never leaves the park. One simply watches the twenty or so men go through their paces, dropping in for snatches of conversation here and there. Like the sport itself, the movie can be slow - and dare one say it? - a bit dull. Of course, as any true fan of the game will tell you, monotony is part of the game, too - as it is in life itself.

None of the actors are particularly famous, but a few such as Keith William Richards and Paul Kandarian may be somewhat recognizeable. They all feel genuine. Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione plays the vendor. The best cameo is an extended one by Boston baseball legend Bill 'Spaceman' Lee who shows up and disappears like a ghost pitching one inning (Lee threw the most infamous Eephus pitch in history at the 1975 World Series giving up a homer to Tony Perez even though he'd been strenuosly warned not to do so).

As the game drags on, people start to go home. It gets dark, but the core men soldier on. It's the last game after all. Plus, the score is tied. There HAS to be a result. They NEED to see it through. At this point, they are literally playing for the Love Of The Game as the old saying goes. It ends not with a huge epiphany (would be inappriate for a low key production such as this) - although there is a fittingly puny fireworks display planned.

EEPHUS is an elegiac look at the true meaning of baseball. Perhaps not a 'Field of Dreams' as much as a way of life for the diehard faithful who may have little else they can still cling to.

It felt like Clerks on a baseball field, but with better production and a much prettier space to shoot in. Fun dialog, Fun charactors, shot well. For anyone giving this under 5 stars. Sorry they didn't blow anything up to keep you entertained and you missed the what the story was actually about. Great Indie movie!

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.

I'm 60. I'm British. I played football (soccer if you will) at Sunday league level for too many years, into my 40s. Recently I had a conversation with a friend, a former teammate, about our playing days. We both miss the game. We both still think we might find an over-60s team and go back to it.

I've seen Eephus described as a baseball movie, but it's more than that. It might be a man's movie. It might be a weekend-warrior-past-his-prime-too-sentimental-by-half movie. Whatever it is, it has a magic to make you smile, and cry, and remember, and forgive. It took me back to a day when I quit the field for what I thought was one last time, and felt both old, and thankful for times shared and friendships made. I hate exercise, will never jog, can't stand swimming - but I'll chase a ball all day. And I loved being on the field, because all other stresses and concerns disappeared. You only had one thing to do that day - compete.

I'm the audience for this film. The reviews suggest it resonates with others, too. The shots of the stars got to me. We have this small moment of pleasure and indulgence in a vast, hostile universe that does not know us. This is an unusual film, quiet but startling, that will be shared and enjoyed by those in the know. A triumph.

Every day life is go go go... stimulation overload. Social media and the internet broadly are a constant dopamine rush. In chase of something bigger and better.

This movie, without the dramatic flare and with its every day 'common' plot/comedy, reminded me that the little things: community (even a rag tag group of misfits) and a shared purpose (even if a bland one) can bring true joy. It reminded me that by slowing down to appreciate what we have ... we can have fulfillment.

I'd recommend this movie for anyone who is ambitious. It will remind you to keep going AND that there is likely a lot to appreciate in what we already have.