Eephus

         

Carson Lund's Eephus is a baseball movie in a minor key. Mr. Lund, whose previous claim to fame in the film world was being cinematographer on a number of Tyler Taormina films, has crafted a premier flick that stands as a elegiac ode to the sport. The film covers the course of a single game between two New Hampshire recreation league teams. Autumn is creeping in, literally and figuratively, as their beloved playing field is due to be bulldozed for a new school. That is the plot. Lund offers us no melodramatic flourishes or surprising twists. No breakdowns or marriage meltdowns. Just character sketches and the ballet of the game. In this case, a sloppy and shambolic ballet.That is for the best since most of Mr. Lund's cast are non-actors and include Boston Red Sox near great Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Sox announcer Joe Castiglione, documentarian Frederick Wiseman, and fashion designer Wayne Diamond. Results vary as does the comic timing. The most soulful performance is by Keith William Richards as an aging hurler pulled of the mound by his niece's christening.

Mr. Lee explains and demonstrates the eephus pitch, a slow bloopy curve not often seen at the major league level. It is this attention to the niggling details of the game that appeals to a baseball nut like me, though I wonder if it will hinder the film's worldwide appeal. Eephus' charms lie primarily in visual composition. Lund has an eye that is as exact and compelling as Edward Hopper. I also enjoyed the aural clutter and fake advertisements Lund employs, most emanating from a throwback boombox. The lack of cutting edge technology and the gorgeous autumnal New England foliage is appropriate to a game that is in the midst of a slow decline; as is cinema. The ascendancy of baseball can be traced by the rise of Babe Ruth and the decline of Mickey Mantle. When I listen to sports radio, chatter about the sport ranks a poor third below football and basketball. The presence of Mr. Wiseman is key here because I believe Mr. Lund wanted to document a game and a small town ritual before it disappears.