For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - The Perfect Game
The Impression:
Coming in to The Perfect Game I literally had no idea
what to expect. I'd heard Cheech Marin, I'd heard baseball,
and I'd heard the 1960s. It seemed like there might be
potential.
The Reality:
Probably the most pandering bit of sentimental morality film
I've ever seen. The story of Monterrey,
Mexico's first Little League baseball team and their
improbable journey to win the World Series is handled with
all the grace and subtlety of a drunken boxing match. The
dialogue is a Bartlett's
Quotable of cliche, both sentimentally and sports-wise.
You'd think Clifton Collins Jr., so good in Capote, would
be able to somehow elevate the character of spurned
towel-boy-turned-coach Cesar Yaz into a character not
defined by underwritten love and lingering racial
resentment. But, alas, the craptitude of this script is too
strong, bullying the talent of any actor within the film in
to non-existence.
Also, Cheech Marin plays a priest, and every kid in the film
looks like a white person painted brown. Seriously avoid
this film like a poisonous snake.
The Lesson:
When you're sitting in a screening and don't recognize a
single critical face, it's time to get up and leave.
Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The
Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and
the KEXP blog. He also has his own
Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.
If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his
writings here at Side One: Track One then please do
so
here.
- Noah Sanders
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