Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey

Title:              Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey
Director:              Brett Rapkin
Producer:            Brett Rapkin, Josh Dixon
Screenwriter:    Brett Rapkin, Josh Dixon
Cinema:               Chris Bradley, Kyle LaBrache, Walker Lamond
Editor:                  Joe LaMattina, Brett Rapkin, Josh Dixon, Walker Lamond
Music:                   Danny Hulsizer, Garron Chang
Year:                     2009 (80 minutes)

Synopsis: Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey is a documentary about former Major League Baseball player, Bill “The Spaceman” Lee. Lee was the ultimate gonzo player, a brilliant left handed pitcher who defied every manager or front office executive who tried to control him. The fans loved him and so did sportswriters who delighted in asking the usual baseball questions, only to get philosophical responses involving the relationship between existentialism and the curveball or the effects of karma on a pitcher’s rotator cuff.

Review: Bill Lee is an interesting character. He was a Major League pitcher from 1969 – 1982 for the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos. During his career, Lee developed an almost cult-like following due to his opinionated, often rambling answers to reporters’ questions. Lee was never at a loss for words. He was left-handed, both physically and philosophically. Lee started out as a baseball player and became a modern day folk-hero.

Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey is a character study of Lee, whose nickname is Spaceman. The film starts with a historical perspective of Lee and his major league career, interspersed with sometimes odd, disjointed quotes from Lee himself. His quotes range from behind-closed-doors baseball stories, to political philosophy, to existentialist thought.

The movie also follows Lee and a group of Americans who travel to Cuba to play baseball against older Cuban players. After being released by Montreal in 1982, Lee began playing amateur baseball all around the world, including in the U.S., Canada, Cuba China, Russia, and in South America. His love for the game is evident. He’s never stopped playing, even as he nears 60 years of age.

I really enjoyed Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey. Director Brett Rapkin did a terrific job of profiling Lee, who is a complex and often misunderstood character. Rapkin didn’t shy away from Lee’s drug use, drinking, and on and off-field antics. But he presents these aspects of his life as part of a bigger picture; a picture that has baseball running through every inch of it.

Bill Lee is a terrific character and Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey is a terrific film.

(4.0 out of 5.0)