‘Eephus’ Review: A Deceptively Simple, Nearly Pitch Perfect Non-Sports Sports Story | Chicago International Film Festival

Sports movies have a well-earned reputation for being inspiring. The thrill of victory, the exhilarating triumph of an underdog team, the joy of watching a Golden Retriever shoot hoops – there’s no better genre when it comes to bringing a tear to a dad’s eye. The new baseball film Eephus isn’t one of those movies. In fact, it’s not even totally apparent why the characters want to be playing the game. It’s essentially plotless, purposefully meandering, seemingly pointless, and totally enjoyable. In place of stirring speeches and memorable quotes worthy of an motivational poster, Eephus instead lets its characters speak in the kind of ball-busting, jokey manner that so often defines male friendship. And it’s never tiring. Instead, it’s hard not to think fondly of the two ragtag teams and be simply entertained by spending 90 or so minutes with them.

Like baseball itself, there’s not an obvious point or reason behind Eephus. Instead, it simply captures a day in the life of two baseball teams as they play their final game on their field before it’s torn down to build a school. They’re far from professionals – these are men who are more focused on which bar to go to after the game than the game itself. And there’s more people on the field than in the stands. But still, they swing on, despite disappearing teammates, inebriated players, and a vanishing sun.

Director Carson Lund creates an incredible atmosphere that’s all too easy for the audience to slip into. Reminiscent of baseball pre-pitch timers, the film has a lazy, ambling pace that feels like a nice relaxing day spent outside. Rather than letting scenes play out in a lengthy manner, Lund inserts side conversations and stray observations from players and spectators into the action. It’s an effective directorial choice – supported by the strongly defined, wisecracking voice of Lund, Michael Basta, and Nate Fisher’s screenplay. Dialogue overlaps and comments float into frame from unseen voices, almost as if Robert Altman was a third base coach, giving pointers from the side. Music is also used extremely sparingly, which keeps the film grounded. Instead, hilariously simplistic local radio commercials underscore much of the action, adding to the low stakes, small town feeling. Lund clearly knew exactly what type of movie he wanted to make and executed his vision pitch (sorry) perfectly.

Nearly everyone on the very deep bench that is the cast list gets a moment to shine, from the players to the umpires to the man working the snack truck. This has the effect of making it difficult to get to know them very well as individuals, but a few of the actors still make an impression. Troy (David Pridemore) is the messiest player on either team, spending the game getting increasingly drunk. And Pridemore plays him with a level of pathos that’s surprising given how broad some of the comedic moments concerning Troy are. Cliff Blake’s character Franny is the scorekeeper and eventual umpire, and he seems to be the only one who actually wants to be there. He has a clear love of the game, opening and closing the film by reciting Lou Gehrig’s famous “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” He’s the first one at the field and the last to leave, embodying the quiet joy and love of the game that the film subtly expresses and the players seem reluctant to admit. Everytime the film returns to Blake, he serves as a much needed comfort from the brutish machismo on the field.

Eephus takes its name from a type of pitch that uses an unusual speed and high arc to take the batter by surprise. As described in the film: “You get bored watching it, and the hitter does so he tries to swing at it like normal. But it’s already past him, or it waits till he’s done swinging. The eephus makes him lose track of time, it’s pretty mean that way.” This could also sum up the film itself – it shows a collection of men, most of whom have more life behind them than ahead of them, who are content to spend their days doing things that may seem like a waste of time, like playing games and drinking beer with friends. But in those moments, life is lived. Eephus shows the simple wonder of community and shared interests, which are the aspects of life that make it worth getting out of bed in the morning. And in its simplicity, the film is strangely moving. Despite the players’ constant ribbing and complaints, gatherings like this baseball game matter, even if they seem like a mere pastime. Purpose is overrated, human connection is what really counts.

Grade: B+

This review is from the 2024 Chicago Independent Film Festival. Music Box Films will release Eephus in New York on March 7, 2025 with a nationwide rollout to follow.