The Perfect Game
| The Perfect Game | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William Dear |
| Written by | W. William Winokur |
| Produced by | Vidal Cantu Adolo Franco Chris Howard Frederico Lapenda Daniel de Liege Michael O. Gallant Mark W. Koch W. William Winokur David Salzberg Christian Tureaud |
| Starring | Clifton Collins Jr. Cheech Marin Moises Arias Jake T. Austin Ryan Ochoa Carlos Padilla Jansen Panettiere Carlos Gómez Emilie de Ravin Patricia Manterola Louis Gossett Jr. |
| Cinematography | Bryan F. Greenberg |
| Edited by | Chris Conlee |
| Music by | Bill Conti |
| Distributed by | Lions Gate Entertainment |
Release dates | March 21, 2009 |
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
The Perfect Game is an 2009 drama film directed by William Dear, and based upon the 2008 book of the same name written by W. William Winokur.[1]
Background
The film is about a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico, who became the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series in 1957. It is based on a true story about 9 kids who go to America and get criticized until they beat the very best American little league baseball team in 1957, and have the only perfect game in championship history.[2] Digital work to recreate the separate looks for the United States and Monterrey in 1957 was done by Post Logic Studios.[3]
Plot
When Cesar Faz (Clifton Collins, Jr.) is laid off from his janitorial job with the St. Louis Cardinals he moves back to Monterrey. There he meets local children being led by Padre Esteban (Cheech Marin) enjoying baseball. He takes pitcher Angel Macias (Jake T. Austin) under his wing and brags about his own pitching skills and how he used to coach the Cardinals. Angel convinces Cesar to help recruit and coach Monterrey's first-ever Little League team. With Cesar's skills and Padre Esteban's support, the boys hone themselves into a competitive team worthy of international competition.
When the team arrives in America, they are met with racism, a language barrier and visa troubles. Though the underdogs, the team scores a series of victories that endear them to the media, and new fans. They befriend a sports reporter, Grankie (Emilie de Ravin) and the groundskeeper, Cool Papa Bell (Lou Gossett, Jr.), who then assist the boys in reaching the final game.
Partial cast
- Clifton Collins Jr. as Cesar
- Cheech Marin as Padre Estaban
- Moises Arias as Mario
- Jake T. Austin as Angel Macias
- Ryan Ochoa as Norberto
- Carlos Padilla as Baltazar
- Jansen Panettiere as Enrique
- Carlos Gómez as Umberto Macias
- Emilie de Ravin as Frankie
- Patricia Manterola as Maria
- Louis Gossett Jr. as Cool Papa Bell
- William May as Juan
- Bruce McGill as Tanner
- David Koechner as Charlie
- Frances Fisher as Betty
- Wyatt Smith as Jarrett
- Marc Musso as Tommy
- Tracey Walter as Police Officer
- Matt Battaglia as Coach Terrence
- Sonya Eddy as Rose
- Ramón Franco as Sr. Villarreal
- Robert Blanche as Bridgeport Coach
- Ron Roggé as Umpire
- Alejandro Chabán as Javier
- Aaron Thompson as Cleon
- John Cothran Jr. as Clarence (as John Cothran)
- Mario Quinonez Jr. as Gerado
- Anthony Quinonez as Fidel
- Alfredo Rodríguez as Pepe
- Gabriel Morales as Ricardo Trevino
Recognition
When reviewed by Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times, he felt that the film did a nice job of telling the story of the surprise upset when a youth ball team from Monterey Mexico won the 1957 Little League World Series. He commented that although the story seems like a fable, it reflected true events. He expressed concern over Lionsgate suspending the original release date.[4] Ben Apatoff of MLB.com felt that the film was a strong family movie that appeals to baseball history buffs or any person who could relate to a child in love with the game.[1]
Release
The film screened at the 2009 Guadalajara International Film Festival,[5] with Eva Longoria invited to the preview.[6] Louis Gosset Jr. was also in attendence for the premiere.[7] The film was originally to be released to theaters on August 8, 2008, but Lionsgate bumped the release date in July of 2008,[4] due to marketing monies pledged but not delivered.[8]
References
- ^ a b Apatoff, Ben (July 17, 2009). "Little Leaguers make waves". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^
"Clifton Collins Jr. on "The Perfect Game"". The National Ledger. August 6, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Post Logic Studios Completes Digital Intermediate and VFX Work for The Perfect Game". postproductionbuyersguide.com. Post Production. July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Patrick (July 24, 2008). "Lionsgate's 'Perfect Game': Bumped to season's end?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ Staff (March 20, 2009). "Film Festival widens its reach". Guadalajara Reporter. pp. paragraph 14. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "Eva Longoria absolument divine... pour son retour au pays". wabayn.com (in French). March 23, 2009. pp. paragraph 2. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "Mr. Gossett attends the Guadalajara Film Festival". louisgossett.com. March 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ Jorn, John (August 14, 2008). "Lionsgate's novel plan of attack: Blitz 'em". pp. paragraph 11. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
External links
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