Official 2013 World Series® Film Not Only For Red Sox Fans
All baseball fans will enjoy the Official 2013 World Series® Film
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday, the Official 2013 World Series® Film was made available to the public. I was granted the tremendous honor to preview the movie. As a baseball fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Under the narration of Ben Affleck (Wait. Affleck doing something related to Boston sports?), the film starts at the place where most of us would think it does: Patriot’s Day. We know what happened that day regarding the Boston Marathon. What was rightfully lost in all the tragedy was that the Boston Red Sox won that day on the strength of an eighth inning, two-out three-run homer off the bat of Daniel Nava. Hard to believe, as Affleck notes in the narration, that the season was only two weeks old.
And Boston Strong was born…and stayed with the team throughout the entire season right up until winning the World Series. Even longer.
Here are a few events from the film that struck a chord with me.
– The birth of the beards. Jonny Gomes hatched a plan. The others that chose to don facial hair followed suit. There’s a discussion as the end credits roll as well.
– As the players line the baselines prior to Game 1, there is a conversation between Jake Peavy and Ryan Dempster. Both were appearing in their first Series.
– One of the more poignant moments was the gathering David Ortiz held during Game 4. While we’ve read what Big Papi said, it’s a bit different actually hearing the words and seeing how his teammates reacted and having the view of the meeting.
– Prior to Game 5, cameras follow David Ross around St. Louis. Some great comments from the catcher. Later in the film, Ross provides insight as to the sacrifices his family made in order for him to play baseball. Quite a moment.
(Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)
– I’m sure if you watched the parade, you recall the scene with Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalmacchia placing the World Series trophy on the finish line of the Boston Marathon as pictured to the right. Yes, the Boston Strong jerseys were in tow. They had to be.
– And is it me or does Ben Cherington look like he just graduated from college?
Overall, I was honestly stricken with the film. I am not a Red Sox fan, and to me, that’s important as I felt I was able to view the film through impartial eyes. The first part of the movie reflects on the events of Patriot’s Day, to clinching the division and through the ALDS and ALCS. This lasts about the first half an hour of the film’s hour and 37 minutes.
The remainder of the film is devoted to the World Series and the parade. The worst-to-first story is always a good one. And those duck boats.
One aspect I love about movies like this is the interviews with the players. Not the walking along-type interviews, but the actual sit-down, face-to-face ones. At times, you feel as if the players are talking to you…even if they’re not looking directly into the camera.
Here’s the trailer for the movie:
The movie is currently available for download from iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, and Xbox for $12.99 (SD)/$14.99 (HD).