Few things can be as potent spectacles as sports-related dramas, especially these days. Some surface sooner than others. Vernon Peters (Reynolds Whalen) stepped up to play for the NY Yankees, made a single pitch, and was never heard from again until his death, living a life ravaged by alcohol and a failed marriage. Mike Resnick (Julian Findlay) takes an interest in the legacy of Peters, eventually crossing paths with legendary sports reporter Roger Pennell (John Haag). Resnick wants to write a book on the life of the failed baseball player, but getting the green light for his project isn’t the least of his concerns. Pennell becomes a vital piece of his book writing process, but he’s surprisingly careful about what he discloses about Peters’ life. It’s a tense clash between new-school versus old-school on the journalism front, centering around one of the world’s most popular baseball teams.
The cover-up, of sorts, is what propels writer/director Stan Freeman’s The Pitch, setting up a number of fascinating revelations that Resnick must confront head-on if he is to advance in his career. Why is Pennell withholding so much information from him? And what is he afraid to reveal? The uneasy energy persists as the reporter tries to uncover more information about Peters and his relationship with his newfound mentor. Roger Pennell seems inviting enough on the outside, but there’s a hint of deception and regret that Haag captures spectacularly. His performance as the aging former journalist giant is the best element Freeman’s film has going for it, outshining the more unpleasant technical aspects.
The unfortunate truth is that Freeman’s theatrical style and staging just doesn’t translate well to the screen. It genuinely feels like certain actors aren’t even performing for a camera, but rather for a live audience on stage. However, this occasional over-the-top flavor is even more apparent due to the poor audio, which just sounds like a noise isolation filter doing its best to sample the dialogue. Other times, the foley cuts in so hard that it becomes nearly impossible to get through a given scene. More issues abound, as disjointed editing coupled with rough, grainy footage ultimately makes The Pitch a rather uninspiring watch.
If you can push yourself past these errors, you’ll find yourself reasonably invested in the secrets Vernon Peters has to hide. An engrossing mystery lies at the heart of Stan Freeman’s feature-length adaptation of The Pitch, one that still holds worthwhile surprises despite numerous fundamental filmmaking flaws.
