Post by StevePulaski on Sept 14, 2016 16:48:41 GMT -5
The Phenom (2016)
Directed by: Noah Buschel
Directed by: Noah Buschel
Pitcher Hopper Gibson (Johnny Simmons) gets harassed by his father (Ethan Hawke) in The Phenom.
Rating: ★★½
The Phenom is such a low-key movie, you might even do a double-take once it concludes and realize that eighty-seven minutes have just passed. However, during that brief time you're treated to such wonderful character-acting and a story of commendable human significance that you're also left wondering how such a gem - starring two acclaimed actors, with one boasting an Oscar-nomination, went so far under the radar that even the radar had to do a double-take.
The film revolves around Hopper Gibson (Johnny Simmons), a talented pitcher, who is sent back to the minor club after a meltdown on the mound in his major league debut. Hopper struggles to maintain composure, in addition to his bigger problem, which is his inability to throw strikes, and as a result of his shortcomings, he's sent to the nimble, though off-kilter sports psychologist Dr. Mobley (Paul Giamatti). Despite this, it doesn't take a psychology degree of the highest order to highlight where Hopper's most prominent of source of stress lies and that's his father (Ethan Hawke), a surly, drunken, abusive neanderthal who has pushed Hopper to his breaking point for years now.
Hopper battles all of his personal and external demons, but he knows there's a ticking-clock on his back when it comes to the longevity and prosperity of his career. He needs to become able to perform at a high-caliber level in order to make it back to the majors and remove himself from the stigma of failure. His tireless pursuit at greatness echoes that of Andrew Neiman in Whiplash, where the extraordinary Miles Teller played the young and ambitious drummer, who decided that attempting to become the greatest drummer of all-time was worth losing friends and alienating people over.
In The Phenom, Hopper does something very similar with his sorta-girlfriend Dorothy (Sophie Kennedy Clark) in a similar, diner setting as Andrew did with his brief girlfriend. He basically tells her that everything, including she, is holding him back from greatness and that one has to compromise with that fact. Obviously now being seen as a burden on Hopper's very existence, Dorothy is disgusted at his pompousness and says that it's his own flaw with himself that he believes he was born with a special "Harry Potter lightning-bolt" that destines him for untold greatness in life and the game of baseball. But Hopper's own personal obsession with his own skill and the game is what he's been trained since his childhood, by his abusive father and his relentless coaches, and now that he's failed, based on the teachings of his entire life up until this point, who could necessarily blame him?
Simmons does a nice job working up against two tremendous, A-list actors and making his performance the perfect center for attention here. He accentuates the qualities of someone who is determined but troubled, hungry for victory but incapable of it in addition, beautifully. Alongside him is Giamatti, who's presence in the film, while inconsistent, is nonetheless serene and nuanced. He provides the role of the nurturing, softspoken father that Hopper never got, as opposed to Hawke's performance, which, as stated, is a complete contrast. Combined together, and given certain moments to shine throughout the course of the film's short runtime, the bases are loaded with talent.
Writer/director Noah Buschel has made a career out of making small-scale dramas that tenderly portray their characters as the layered human-beings they are, and in doing-so, The Phenom presents a softer, more empathetic treatment of the players rather than the game they play with commendable payoff.
Starring: Johnny Simmons, Ethan Hawke, and Paul Giamatti. Directed by: Noah Buschel.