Still we Believe....

Today I went to the Lewiston Flagship Cinemas to catch "Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie" before it left town for good. I have to say that I enjoyed the movie, but not the main characters. As anybody reading this probably knows, the movie follows the Red Sox through the 2003 season, from the day tickets went on sale to the general public through the ultimate heartbreak in October.

The movie was terrific in portraying the energy of the ballpark and the emotion of the fans. Getting a "behind the scenes" glimpse of players in the clubhouse as well as of the ownership and front office was a treat. The downside was the fans themselves, who I found to be annoying. "Angry Bill" has gotten the most press, and he certainly was the most charismatic figure in the film. I found him to be whiny and annoying, a know-it-all who was pessimistic and more pessimistic depending upon the score of the game. He was the worst part of the movie, the type of Sox fan that I most despise. And we saw him in shorts, which really should have ended up on the cutting-room floor.

I also found the two female fans, Erin and Jessamy ("professional fans") to be pretty grating at times. They were very passionate, to be sure, but kind of annoying in the process. I liked the guy who owns the bar in Santa Monica - an out-of-town Red Sox haven is always cool. One note, however: when doing "good luck shots", maybe consider something a little less foofy than lemondrops. I mean, I know they taste good, but you have the fate of the Red Sox in your hands here! Lemondrops?

The film spends a lot of time on the postseason, when emotions are at there highest, as well it should. The director does a fair job of keeping the momentum going through the game action. And we get the ultimate heartache, which didn't feel much better than the first time around. (Adding insult to injury was a shot of the Owners box during the Oakland series, and there was the smiling face of the man who went on to sell my employer off, starting a chain of events that ultimately culminated in my personal unemployment. But I digress).

It's a good movie for Red Sox fans, even if I don't really know anybody as pathetic as most of those presented in the film. And I imagine it would make big bucks in NYC, though I expect the mocking of Red Sox fans will increase as a result. Go see it, or (better yet) rent it when it hits DVD.