Eephus
A tender farewell wrapped up in a love letter to the game of baseball.
PRE GAME ⚾️
Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻
I hope everyone has had a good week. The weather has been absolutely glorious here in Scotland, so I’ve been soaking up as much of it as possible. Over here though, whenever we get such fantastic weather in April or May, there’s always the worry that we’ll get a few months further down the line and realise that the one week of sunshine in April was actually our summer. The weather can be pretty unpredictable here, but here’s hoping for some more sunshine. Glasgow is such a great city, especially when the weather is great. There’s such a buzzy and happy energy about it, so long may it continue!
Before we dive into this week’s movie, it’s time for some sports movie breaking news! (insert ESPN-style news alert tone here 🚨). This week, we got a trailer for the upcoming A24 movie The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson and based on the story of former UFC champion Mark Kerr. I almost didn’t recognise Johnson at first when I watched the trailer, and it’s really cool to see him not be ‘The Rock’ in another movie. I can’t wait for this one! I’ll certainly aim to make it an opening weekend review here at Balls on Film.
For now though, let’s turn to the baseball field. As I’ve mentioned here before, baseball is my favourite sub-genre of sports movies. I can’t quite put my finger on why. Baseball is my favourite sport, but it’s not just that. There’s just something soulful and comforting about baseball, and by extension baseball movies. It’s the perfect sport for cinema and it’s a bummer that we don’t see as many movies as we did back in the 80s and 90s. I’ve been looking forward to Eephus since I first heard about it. I wish I could have experienced it on the big screen, but with it finally being available digitally, it went straight to the top of my watch list.
Let’s head to Soldiers Field!
FIRST HALF ⚾️
Eephus is a love letter to baseball. You can feel the passion and love for the game and all its beauty in every frame. But it isn’t just a film about baseball - it’s a beautifully crafted ode to so many other things around it: tradition, community, humour, and heartache. The film digs deep into the soul of the game during a sun-drenched, crisp October afternoon in the mid 90s, and captures the camaraderie between a ragtag group of friends brought together by the sport they all love, and the heartbreak of it all quietly slipping away.
Named after the very slow, high-arching and deceptive eephus pitch, the story centres around a recreational league baseball team in a small American town as they gather at Soldiers Field for what might be their final game of the season - and possibly ever. With their field scheduled to be torn down and built over with a school, the players get together for one last game, to relive old stories and take part in playful trash talk, all whilst confronting the sadness and finality of things winding down. The whole film takes place over the game being played, and as the day goes on and innings pass, an incredibly sweet tale of friendship, nostalgia and the inevitable passage of time unfolds against a beautiful baseball backdrop. I’d been looking forward to this since I first heard about it, but it hit me in a way that even I wasn’t expecting it to. I’d been expecting much more of a comedy and while the movie has plenty of funny moments, this one dug deep into my heart from the beginning.
What makes Eephus work so well is its perfect ensemble cast of quirky characters. They are all deeply human, each with their own flaws, and watching them all come to terms with the end of something they love is what gives the story its heart. For many of them, it’s not just about the game itself, it’s the end of a chapter of their lives and the comfort of routine being ripped away. How different they all are makes it work so well. There’s the ageing minor leaguer clinging to one last shot, the nervous rookie, the old-school guys with the unwavering belief in the poetry of the game, the grumpy umpire, the old timer who’s there only to spectate, but who's kept scores and records with paper and pencil at every game all throughout the years - it’s a mismatched roster that somehow all fits together. Their chemistry is infectious and their struggles feel real. These are all real people with lives outside of the game, and all at different stages of life - but it’s the game and everything else it brings that means everything to them. There’s one moment where a young spectator in the crowd looks on and asks “Why do they care so much? Don’t they have more important things going on?” and it just lingers over the whole thing and sums up the movie so perfectly.
The film doesn’t just rely on melancholy alone to be so effective - it’s real soul is found in the in-between stuff: the casual, hilarious background banter between teammates, the grumbling about uniforms, the philosophical ramblings and questions mid-game, the chatter from the spectators in the crowd, the scratchy snippets of the radio broadcast that’s playing in the background, the advertisements and chatter coming from the local food trucks - it’s all so full of heart and feels so natural that it’s almost like you’re overhearing something rather than watching and listen to dialogue. You could lie back, close your eyes and feel like you were lying in the park as a game is played around you. Visually, the movie is just as great - the whole thing is soaked in the warm, fading light of an October afternoon, with the changing light and broken up sections of the story serving as a constant reminder of time slipping away, and everything that the characters are facing.
Where Eephus also differs to other sports movies is in the way it presents the game itself. This is a small, reflective, quiet film and there’s no adrenaline-pumping final game or no Rocky-style training montages. Here, the game is not a spectacle, but more a slow and patient ritual. The real beauty lies in the movie’s restraint. It’s where the film’s true love and understanding of baseball becomes clear. It understands and respects the sports grace, its silences and subtle tension. It doesn’t hand-hold either, and there’s a lot of baseball jargon that might feel a bit off-putting at first to some who know nothing about the game, but the film never feels inaccessible and it’s designed to feel real and to place you right there along with the other spectators. Even if you don’t know much about the intricacies of the sport, you’ll still be drawn in by the atmosphere and the magic of it all.
Eephus marks director Carson Lund’s first feature film, and you’d never guess it because it genuinely feels like the work of someone who’s been at this for a long time. There’s a quiet confidence in the way the film resists unnecessary drama and plot twists, instead leaning into the small moments and silences that say more than any big game comeback or melodrama ever could. It captures the tone, rhythm, and emotion of the game perfectly with an observational style and a pacing that feels very deliberate. I loved the way in which Lund allows scenes to just play out with wide camera shots that just sit there for a while, and let the viewer really soak in the atmosphere.
In the end, Eephus comes and goes just like the October afternoon on which its set - cool, quiet, and full of feeling. It’s not just about baseball, but about memories, connection, and the ache of knowing something you love is coming to an end. Carson Lund perfectly captures the atmosphere and emotion of baseball with restraint and clarity. Every detail from the dust of the infield and the crack of the bat to the low murmur of voices in the stands - it all feels very much alive. I’d love to see him do more in the baseball genre after this. Maybe it’s because I’m feeling getting older myself lately, but it’s a film that’s going to stay with me for a long time - not because of what happens throughout its run time as such, but because of how deeply it understands both the beauty and sadness of watching something fade away.
Eephus is available on most digital platforms. You can find more info via eephusfilm.com.
HALFTIME 🍿
Let’s take a break for halftime.
Here’s what else I’ve been watching and enjoying this week:
UNTIL DAWN
I still remember playing Until Dawn when it was released on the PS4, and having so much fun with it. For that reason alone, I wanted to go see it. I did approach it with a but of trepidation because, well…video game movie adaptations. While it was better than I expected, it was nothing amazing by any means. The setting is great and there’s some brilliant special effects and really fun horror moments. There’s also a few nice easter eggs for fans of the game too, but after a while it starts to drag on a bit too long and got a bit repetitive. Still though, better than I was expecting.
In theatres now.
THE CLUBHOUSE: A YEAR WITH THE RED SOX
Even as a die-hard Yankees fan, I must admit that The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox is an utterly compelling watch. The eight-part docuseries offers a look behind the scenes at the 2024 Red Sox, in a way that we’ve never got to see a professional baseball team before. We follow the players and staff through their personal and professional lives during the season and it looks closely at the pressure of playing professional sports and the impact that the high expectations of the city can have on mental health. There’s one particular episode where Jarren Duran opens up about his own struggles that’s incredibly moving. I really hope Netflix continues the series with other teams. I can’t recommend this enough.
Streaming on Netflix now.
Oh, and before we get into some awards, you can watch some real eephus pitches from MLB games right here, if you’re wondering what it’s like in a real game.
Let’s get back to Soldiers Field!
SECOND HALF ⚾️
Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.
BEST SCENE 🏆
There’s a scene where some of the players go up to the press box to thank Franny for coming to the games and keeping the scores and stats all through the years. It’s incredibly poignant, and there’s a real sense of finality and sadness to it all. I thought it was beautiful.
BEST LINE 🏆
“Why do they care so much? Don’t they have more important things going on?”
IMDB TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆
Per iMDb:
Director Carson Lund and his crew scouted for baseball fields in Massachusetts on which to film. They chose Soldiers Field because it was one of the few baseball parks that had not been renovated with modern amenities such as aluminum bleachers, and still had a wooden fence, chipped paint, and other rustic features. Lund later discovered through research the rich history of the park, such as the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees once having played an exhibition game there in 1946.
BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆
I love this review. It’s so spot on.
BONUS FEATURES 💿
Here’s a conversation with director Carson Lund on making the film.
I’ve shared this before here, but watching this reminded me of the Northwoods Sleep Baseball Radio podcast. Each episode is a totally made-up baseball radio broadcast, all designed to be as relaxing as possible. It’s perfect for falling asleep to. If you’ve not tried it, you should. It’s one of my favourites!
POST-GAME ⚾️
As always, please let me know what you’ve been watching in the comments. I love getting your recommendations and reading about what everyone has been getting into each week.
I mentioned last week that I wanted to review a running movie next, since I’m currently training for the upcoming Men’s 10K here in Glasgow, and for the Half Marathon in October. I’m going to watch Run Fatboy Run, which I’ve not seen since it was released - and which I can’t believe was 18 years ago! Man, do I feel old! Anyway, we’ll get to Simon Pegg running next week. Until then, stay safe everyone.
See you next week! 👋🏻
~James
Right, this is now on my watch list!
I’m glad you liked it. I had a mixed review but I can see why this is a movie many will love.