Eephus

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.

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 has a lot of potential, but the characters weren't developed enough. The comedy had a couple laughs and different people laughed at different times in the theater (the funniest part for me wasn't funny for everyone & others were laughing during times when for me it was barely funny at all).

The beginning started out best, with the most potential and I was just waiting for the real connection to happen, to inevitably fall in love with who these people are, but it never came to fruition.

Not to say I don't appreciate rec leagues, and the hobbies that make our lives seemingly worth living, and the dreams we all have had that only a small percent are lucky enough to live out.

This film is an almost but not quite for me, that just got so diluted with no progression in the script that made the 98 minute run time feel more like 135 minutes. I found myself wishing for the end.

The acting was good for some, maybe even for most, but for others, their skills weren't big screen ready. People disappeared/appeared and showed/didn't show without reason throughout.

The characters should've been closer than they were. It was all kind of a let down for not only them, but audiences members alike.

Some of the random spectators in it were similar in that you really don't feel the connection with them nor with the other characters or script, either. But oh we were all trying to get there.

The end was anticlimactic and it seemed purposeful, but so was the middle, thus was the majority of the film. I mean who doesn't like a good climax?

With the right writing, this could've been so much more.

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..