Fastball (2016)

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

For baseball fans, the question that this documentary delves into is an age-old one: Which hurler threw the fastest pitch in the history of the game? Was it Walter Johnson nearly 100 years ago? Maybe Bob Feller? Nolan Ryan? Or how about contemporaries like Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman? "Fastball" interviews both baseball greats and scientists in order to find out the "answer".What this film does so well is that it knows the ultimate answer to its thesis query will be "we are not sure...but here are some fun guesses". There is no way to definitively prove anything. So, a large part of this documentary is spent talking with players who actually competed against the legends being debated. Guys like Joe Moran, George Brett, Tony Gwynn, Johnny Bench, Bob Gibson, Goose Gossage, and Nolan Ryan are given prominent interview footage in order to hear there opinion on the matter. This is much-needed for "Fastball", as the main question needs to be as much narratively-driven as scientific proved.That isn't to say, however, that "Fastball" is all fluff...far from it! It does its best to include as much scientific analysis as possible, such as showing the methodology of the crude devices that once test the speed of pitches from Johnson, Feller, and Gibson, as well as the much more refined radar guns of today. A good solid half of "Fastball" concentrates on the scientific aspect of things, trying to quantitatively discover the fastball ball ever thrown.Overall, baseball fans will really enjoy "Fastball" for a number of reasons (and I haven't even yet mentioned the great narration from Kevin Costner!). It tries its best to answer the question scientifically, but is also smart enough to realize that people's opinions have just as much weight in the discussion as due the numbers. This leads to a great melding of stats and stories that make "Fastball" multi-faceted enough to appeal to all crowds. Highly recommend as the start of another baseball campaign commences!

My following of Major League Baseball and professional sports in general sort of faded when big time money entered the arena. Having played Little League and Babe Ruth Ball, I'll still occasionally check the standings, but would be hard pressed to name the winner of the last World Series. So my interest in checking out this documentary had more to do with the science and mechanics of fastball pitching, and on that score I think it delivers pretty well.Over the span of baseball eras, it's still an open question of who the fastest pitcher ever might have been, and it's likely that it will remain so. The earliest attempt to record pitching speed goes back to 1912 when Walter Johnson threw into a wired contraption that set off a timer; his throw clocked at one hundred twenty two feet per second, or in present day language, about eighty three point two miles per hour. That doesn't sound very fast by today's standards, but a modern day calculation demonstrated in the documentary upped that number considerably.One humorous attempt to demonstrate Bob Feller's pitching speed involved a competition against a motorcycle. Feller beat the guy on the bike handily, and it was neat to see the former great explaining some pitching methodology to a youngster. The invention of the radar gun brought scientific measurement of pitching speed into the modern age in the Seventies, and a number of present day, active and retired big leaguers were interviewed on the mechanics and intimidation factor involved in pitching against competent hitters.To give one an idea how out of touch I am with the Big League scene, I didn't even recognize names like Aroldis Chapman or Craig Gimbrel, my baseball era would have included guys like Koufax and Gibson, both of whom are also featured here. There's a brief aside on 'the fastest who never was', pitcher Steve Dalkowski, who's control was next to negligible but who had a fearsome reputation with a few of the guest interviewees like Al Kaline and Hank Aaron. That's Dalkowski's quote in my summary line above, a bit ironic and sad actually. He appeared in the film as well, looking defeated by life for having missed out on his life's passion.They call baseball a game of inches, and in the case of professional pitchers, those inches can add up when you're talking the difference between a ninety two and a hundred mile per hour fastball. That difference is demonstrated graphically, along with a myriad number of insights into such areas as trajectories, magnus forces and speed. It might be a bit much for the casual viewer to follow, but anyone with a keen interest in the science of fastball pitching will find it all fascinating. Even pitchers seem to be in awe of the science, case in point one Dave Price who can tell you with exact precision the time he threw a hundred mile per hour fastball - in a 2010 game against Detroit against Johnny Peralta. Talk about a lasting impression!

I was spellbound watching all my hero's from a half century of loving baseball. I saw many of these guys play in real life ( live in Philly, my home) We boo'd Morgan and Ryan and even Shmitty but, as I enter my autumn years I have a better appreciation for their talents.This movie is titled aptly. It is a history of the fastball and it is done like no other movie about the fast pitch I have ever seen. Seeing guys like Jeter, Brett and others showing that, while they are hitting gods; the pitcher is the real demon to slay...I have a new fondness for Nolan Ryan and Goose Gossage that I didn't have before...Goose is quite the character...I wish some Philly pitchers were in there like Shilling or Carlton but I guess they wanted the most awesome pitchers of all...Great movie for older and young...

Nearing 60, I have been a fan of the game since a child, and remember a lot of the mystique associated with some of the older players. I found the premise of the film very attractive and the production very good. Kevin Costner was a natural narrator for show, with all of his associated baseball films.I don't think anyone will step away from a viewing and have a clear belief of who throws/threw the fasted "heater", but I enjoyed the attempt to put things in perspective. I still feel it was like comparing apples to pears. What I enjoyed most from the film, were the interviews, especially the deleted ones. I NEVER knew that Bob Gibson, Hank Aaron, and Mike Schmidt were so animated. This is also the most I have ever seen Nolan Ryan talk in a single setting. Whitey Herzog's annoyance, at being asked once too many times about Bob Feller was typical grumpy old man-like, and hysterical.If you're even a passing fan of the game, even a younger one, you'll appreciate the effort. Glad I bought it.