Knuckleball!
{{short description|2012 documentary film about baseball}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Knuckleball!
| image = File:KnuckleballMovie.jpg
| caption =
| director = Ricki Stern
Anne Sundberg
| producer = Dan Cogan, Christine Schomer, Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on =
| starring = Tim Wakefield
R. A. Dickey
| music = Paul Brill
| cinematography =
| editing =
| studio =
| distributor = Amelia & Theo Films, FilmBuff
| released = {{Film date|2012|4|21|New York city|2012|9|20|United States}}
| runtime = 93 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Knuckleball! is a 2012 documentary film that follows the 2011 seasons of Tim Wakefield and R. A. Dickey, Major League Baseball's only knuckleball pitchers that year. It was released in theaters on September 20, 2012, and on DVD on April 2, 2013. Wakefield won his 200th game in 2011 and Dickey won the 2012 Cy Young Award.
Background
Plot
The film sets up the 2011 season by showing how the knuckleball saved both pitchers from obscurity. Dickey moved his family 37 times before landing with the New York Mets.{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com//review/knuckleball-film-review-371226|title=Knuckleball!: Film Review|access-date=June 2, 2013|date=September 18, 2012|work=The Hollywood Reporter|author=DeFore, John|archive-date=September 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924234834/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/knuckleball-film-review-371226|url-status=live}} The film presents Wakefield's chase of his 200th win as a member of the 2011 Red Sox and Dickey's make-it-or-break-it season with the 2011 Mets. It demonstrates the fraternal nature of knuckleball pitchers who trade tips of the trade via various meetings with the likes of Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough. Dickey won the Cy Young Award in November 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8633034/ra-dickey-new-york-mets-wins-national-league-cy-young-becoming-first-knuckleballer-win-award|title=R. A. Dickey wins NL Cy Young|access-date=June 7, 2013|date=November 16, 2012|author=Rubin, Adam|publisher=ESPN|archive-date=November 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116064819/http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8633034/ra-dickey-new-york-mets-wins-national-league-cy-young-becoming-first-knuckleballer-win-award|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/mets-radickey-wins-cy-young-award/|title=Mets' Dickey Wins Cy Young Award|access-date=June 7, 2013|date=November 14, 2012|author=Keh, Andrew|work=The New York Times|archive-date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408032706/http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/mets-radickey-wins-cy-young-award/|url-status=live}}
Cast
Reception
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|93|6.8|{{RT data|count}}|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knuckleball_2012/ |title=Knuckleball! (2012) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=June 3, 2013 |archive-date=February 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211230643/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knuckleball_2012/ |url-status=live }} On Metacritic the film scored 73 out of 100 based on 9 reviews.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/knuckleball!/critic-reviews|title=Knuckleball!|access-date=June 2, 2013|publisher=Metacritic|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105203917/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/knuckleball!/critic-reviews|url-status=live}}
Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times, noted that the film's release coincided with Dickey's Cy Young run, which made the "first-rate sports documentary" especially sweet.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/movies/knuckleball-considers-the-unpredictable-pitch.html |title=The Art of the Flutter: 'Knuckleball!' Considers the Unpredictable Pitch |work=The New York Times |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil |date=September 20, 2012 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225211236/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/movies/knuckleball-considers-the-unpredictable-pitch.html |url-status=live }} The Boston Globe{{'s}} Ty Burr said "The movie's a must for baseball fans in general and Red Sox fans in particular".{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/2012/09/17/knuckleball-documentary-pitch-perfect/VPC5DQaiN8o66a3vlZxqWM/story.html |title='Knuckleball!' documentary is pitch-perfect |access-date=June 2, 2013 |date=September 17, 2012 |work=The Boston Globe |last=Burr |first=Ty |archive-date=May 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521222905/http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/2012/09/17/knuckleball-documentary-pitch-perfect/VPC5DQaiN8o66a3vlZxqWM/story.html |url-status=dead }}
Even the film's harshest critics such as Time Out's David Fear says "Viewers who can’t get enough of ESPN's "30 for 30" docs will lap up this dual portrait", but continued to say that "Nonfans, however, are about to find out exactly what the phrase inside baseball means."{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/us/film/knuckleball |title=Knuckleball!: Time Out says |access-date=June 2, 2013 |date=September 17, 2012 |work=Time Out |last=Fear |first=David |archive-date=September 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930091543/http://www.timeout.com/us/film/knuckleball |url-status=dead }}
See also
Notes
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20140709061919/http://www.knuckleballmovie.com/}} (archived from original)
- {{IMDb title|2343601|Knuckleball!}}
{{Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg|state=expanded}}
{{Baseball pitches}}
Category:2012 documentary films
Category:American baseball films
Category:Documentary films about baseball
Category:Films set in New York City
Category:Films directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg
Category:2010s English-language films