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The Battered Bastards of Baseball

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The Battered Bastards of Baseball
Promotional poster
Directed byChapman Way
Maclain Way
Produced byJuliana Lembi
CinematographyChapman Way
Edited byChapman Way
Music byBrocker Way
Production
company
Stardust Frames
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • January 20, 2014 (2014-01-20) (Sundance)
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Battered Bastards of Baseball is a 2014 documentary film about the Portland Mavericks, a defunct minor league baseball team in Portland, Oregon. They played five seasons in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, from 1973 through 1977. Owned by actor Bing Russell, the Mavericks were an independent team, without the affiliation of a parent team in the major leagues. The title is from a line in Jim Bouton's 1970 book Ball Four: "Us battered bastards of baseball are the biggest customers of the U.S. Post Office, forwarding-address department."[1]

Development

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The film was directed by Chapman Way and Maclain Way, grandsons of Russell,[2] and features Russell's son Kurt Russell, who played for the Mavericks and worked as a vice president.[3] It also includes batboy Todd Field, Frank "The Flake" Peters, Joe Garza, Jim Bouton, and Joe Garagiola.[4][5] The film premiered to a standing ovation at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014.[6][7] Netflix, initially one of several interested buyers, acquired the rights to the film and premiered it as an Original Documentary on July 11, 2014.[8][9]

After a bidding war between Fox Searchlight, Columbia Pictures, and DreamWorks, filmmaker Justin Lin acquired the rights to adapt the documentary into a feature film.[10] Oscar-nominated Field was attached to write and direct the adaptation.[11]

Reception

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The Battered Bastards of Baseball received positive reviews from critics and has a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.[12]

Scott Foundas of Variety, said in his review that "So rife with underdog victors and hairpin twists of fortune that, if it weren't all true, no one would believe it."[13] Duane Byrge in his review for The Hollywood Reporter praised the film by saying that "The Battered Bastards of Baseball is not just about baseball. It transcends the game and is a charming anti-establishment yarn that should delight audiences who don't even know an RBI from a balk."[14]

Dustin Krcatovich, from Esquire, wrote "easily one of the most raucously entertaining films to come out this year, and the best sports documentary in a while."[15] Katie Walsh of Indiewire graded the film B+ by saying that "The Batterered Bastards of Baseball is an entertaining celebration of the independent spirit and the love of the game."[16]

The New York Daily News listed the documentary as one of the 10 best films of 2014.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ball Four: My Life and Hard Times Throwing the Knuckleball in the Big Leagues, Jim Bouton, edited by Leonard Schecter, page 120, The World Publishing Company, New York and Cleveland, 1970
  2. ^ LaBrecque, Jeff (January 13, 2014). "Sundance: Kurt Russell goes deep for 'Battered Bastards of Baseball'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  3. ^ "Kurt Russell pays tribute to dad's Portland Mavericks with 'The Battered Bastards of Baseball'". Fox News. January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  4. ^ ""The Battered Bastards of Baseball" impresses Sundance". NBC Sports. January 27, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  5. ^ "Sundance Review: The Battered Bastards of Baseball". The Hollywood Reporter. November 17, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  6. ^ "Justin Lin to remake Battered Bastards Sundance Doc". First Showing. January 24, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  7. ^ "Sundance 2014: Documentary Premieres". indiewire.com. January 10, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  8. ^ "Netflix announces documentaries, beginning with Sundance hit, 'Battered Bastards of Baseball'". Entertainment Weekly. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  9. ^ "Sundance: Todd Field Eyeing Adaptation Of 'Battered Bastards Of Baseball' Docu". Deadline. January 24, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  10. ^ Tatiana Siegel (January 24, 2014). "Sundance: Justin Lin to Adapt 'Battered Bastards of Baseball' Doc". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  11. ^ "Justin Lin to Produce Adaptation of Doc 'Battered Bastards of Baseball'". Variety. January 24, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  12. ^ "The Battered Bastards of Baseball". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  13. ^ "Sundance Film Review: 'The Battered Bastards of Baseball'". Variety. January 30, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  14. ^ "The Battered Bastards of Baseball: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. January 24, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  15. ^ "THE WILD STORY BEHIND NETFLIX'S NEW BASEBALL DOC". Esquire. July 17, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  16. ^ "Sundance Review: 'Battered Bastards Of Baseball' Tells The Story Of Kurt Russell's Father's Raucous Adventures On The Field". indiewire.com. January 21, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  17. ^ Neumaier, Joe (December 24, 2014). "The Top 10 (and Bottom 5) Movies of 2014". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
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