| Knuckleball! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ricki Stern Anne Sundberg |
| Produced by | Dan Cogan, Christine Schomer, Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg |
| Starring | Tim Wakefield R. A. Dickey |
| Music by | Paul Brill |
| Distributed by | Amelia & Theo Films,FilmBuff |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Knuckleball! is a 2012documentary film that follows the 2011 seasons ofTim Wakefield andR. A. Dickey,Major League Baseball's onlyknuckleball pitchers that year.[1] It was released in theaters on September 20, 2012, and on DVD on April 2, 2013.[2] Wakefieldwon his 200th game in 2011 and Dickey won the 2012Cy Young Award.
Stern and Sundberg's previous documentary wasJoan Rivers: A Piece of Work.[3] They had also previously directed the documentaryThe Devil Came on Horseback about theWar in Darfur.[4]
The film sets up the 2011 season by showing how the knuckleball saved both pitchers from obscurity.[1] Dickey moved his family 37 times before landing with theNew York Mets.[4] The film presents Wakefield's chase of his 200th win as a member of the2011 Red Sox and Dickey's make-it-or-break-it season with the2011 Mets.[3] It demonstrates the fraternal nature of knuckleball pitchers who trade tips of the trade via various meetings with the likes ofPhil Niekro andCharlie Hough.[1][3] Dickey won the Cy Young Award in November 2012.[5][6]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 93% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[2] OnMetacritic the film scored 73 out of 100 based on 9 reviews.[7]
Neil Genzlinger ofThe New York Times, noted that the film's release coincided with Dickey's Cy Young run, which made the "first-rate sports documentary" especially sweet.[1]The Boston Globe'sTy Burr said "The movie's a must for baseball fans in general andRed Sox fans in particular".[3] Even the film's harshest critics such asTime Out's David Fear says "Viewers who can’t get enough ofESPN's "30 for 30" docs will lap up this dual portrait", but continued to say that "Nonfans, however, are about to find out exactly what the phraseinside baseball means."[8]