Eephus as defined by MLB.com is “one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, and it is known for its exceptionally low speed and ability to catch a hitter off guard.” This pitching style is brought up numerous times by several of the rivaling ball players and is understandably an analogy for the film itself. The film of the same name is a slow moving meditation about people having a final game together on a field that is soon to be demolished, that for many will exceed expectations. 

 

For myself, the film unfortunately never hit. Its slow moving narrative that follows these two teams not wanting to let the game end without a fair conclusion becomes tiresome (similar to the status of a few players as the day goes on). The film is overtly a character study about friendship, teamwork and the passion for the game — but there’s not enough substance to hold together the 98 minute run. 

 

The performances feel authentic and resemble the likes of day to day people you might witness playing ball on a community team in your local town. These people seemingly participate in a normal life during the week, taking an entire day off during the weekend to get together and play some baseball. There’s a defined sense of passion and understanding of the sport but it’s more so the fun of getting the oddly assembled group of individuals together for a sport they can all get behind. 

 

The baseball is cleverly filmed in the way that you hardly ever see the entire field at one time in an active play. Instead the film focuses on the closeups of the batters, the fielders or the pitcher rather than fully capturing the game play by play. Apart from the players themselves, you also have the limited fans on the bleachers, mainly consisting of one older man just enjoying the game. Along with the fans is a dedicated score keeper, Franny (Cliff Blake) who has apparently been with these teams since the beginning, unprompted to keep tally. Franny is the MVP of the film and he’s not even a proper player - his humor and the direction Carson Lund provides to him elevates his participation to more than just a simple scorekeeper - he’s the heart of the game. 

 

While Carson Lund’s feature directorial debut didn’t quite make the lineup of the film’s of the year for me. I can fully understand why someone would enjoy the film by seeking the deeper meaning out of both the sport being played and people playing it. It’s a film that moves at snail's pace and that’s purposeful, although fairly for someone hoping for a typical sports affair (Major League, Mr. 3000, The Natural) — it’s best to find it elsewhere, as Eephus is more of a metaphorical use of the sport and a meditative look at reluctantly moving forward.