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Poster for Fastball

Fastball

Seen it?

2016 | 87 min | Documentary

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (90% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had soft box office and little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
One for sports fans (and people who swear they aren't) and the curious. You don't need to know the game to feel the big moments.
The mood
Eye-opening.
The pace
Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 27 min. An easy one to fit in on a school night.
What might put you off
Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.

Since 1912, baseball has been a game obsessed with statistics and speed. Thrown at upwards of 100 miles per hour, a fastball moves too quickly for human cognition and accelerates into the realm of intuition. Fastball is a look at how the game at its highest levels of achievement transcends logic and even skill, becoming the primal struggle for man to control the uncontrollable.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    90% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 75K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Jonathan Hock

  • Kevin CostnerNarrator
  • Hank AaronSelf (archive footage)
  • Nolan RyanSelf (archive footage)
  • Derek JeterSelf
  • Denard SpanSelf
  • Craig KimbrelSelf (archive footage)
  • Justin VerlanderSelf (archive footage)
  • Bryce HarperSelf (archive footage)
  • Chris CooperClifford Blankenship (voice)
  • George BrettSelf (archive footage)