Seeking to help a well known pitcher, this movie follows the efforts of a therapist that does his best to treat a well known rock pitcher. He struggles against making him overcome the abusive childhood he has.
As sports-centric films go, those folks looking for cheering crowds on a mild summer's night won't find much joy in The Phenom's mudville. It's a slow walk around the bases.
Buschel is clearly on the right track to fully embracing the limitations of conventional structures in storytelling. When he does, it could lead to a minor masterpiece, which at times The Phenom flirts with.
This "love me daddy" baseball pic that earns points for spending less than 5 percent of its time on the diamond and refusing to end in open competition...so far as the playing field is concerned.
A welcome surprise for sports cinema, "The Phenom" handles itself like Robert Redford's "Ordinary People" when exploring the psychology of a Lebron James or Johnny Manziel-like sports sensation.
