Customer Reviews

Pastime

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pastime focuses on two minor league pitchers in the 1950's. The first is an older pitcher named Roy Dean (William Russ). Roy had a "cup of coffee" in the major leagues when he was younger, but was sent back down to the minors shortly after. Years later, he is still playing in the minors and refuses to accept the fact that it is time for him to retire. Roy is told by the team's manager Clyde Bigby (Noble Willingham)that the team owner Peter LaPorte ( Jefferey Tambor)is getting ready to release him. Shortly after, an up and coming African American pitcher named Tyrone( Glen Plummer)joins the team. Tyrone has got a major league arm, but is extremely shy and unsure of himself because he is a 17 year old black kid. Roy sees potential in Tyrone, and takes him under his wing to teach him about the finer points of the game, and more importantly, the finer points of life.

Pastime is perhaps one of the greatest baseball films ever made. It is a shame that no one really knows about it. The film is extremely realistic when it comes to the minor league atmosphere of the 1950's. William Russ and Glen Plummer both do an amazing job in their roles. Pastime also happens to be one of the best "buddy" films I have ever seen because of the relationship that develops between the two. It is very touching to see Roy pass on all his knowledge to Tyrone to help him get to the majors. The reason the film is inspiring, is because both Roy and Tyrone are underdogs. Everyone sees Roy as a pitcher past his prime, and no one takes him seriously. No one on the team respects Tyrone because he is a black man. Watching the two of them face the odds together is amazing. The ending to this film is extremely emotional and definately a tear jerker. It was also extremely satisfying.

Overall, Pastime is one of the best baseball films I have ever seen. William Russ and Glen Plummer offer outstanding performances, and the film is very realistic with both the baseball action and the atmosphere of the 1950's. I highly recommend this film.

A solid 5 stars...

A fictional story that captures the essence of minor league baseball in a small town in the 1950's. William Russ (Roy Dean Bream) is great as an aging pitcher, whose dedication and love for the game contrasts with the flippant and immature attitudes of some of the younger players. Glenn Plummer (Tyrone Debray) portrays a 17 year old black pitcher making his start in the minors. Roy Dean becomes friend and mentor to Tyrone. Russ's character has a health condition that is kept secret, revealed in the end of this poignant story. The baseball action is realistic, rare in baseball movies.

... and perhaps the best movie, period, is "Pastime," a perfect blend of character study and morality play, both a slice-of-life and larger-than-life view of minor-league ball in the late 1950s and a portrait of a protagonist worthy of anyone's admiration. The casting and acting (particularly of William Russ in the main role and Noble Willingham as the manager) are superb. All the other elements of the film - its reality, its values, its script (many choice and insightful lines), its cinematography, its music (particularly "Swing Low"), its attention to detail, its real-star cameos - engage both the mind and the heart. The only reason I can see why it has not received more notice is a lack of marketing and big-name stars. "Capra-esque" in the best sense, it puts to shame "Major League" and would-be mythic silliness as "The Natural." - Clay Eals

Want to see a great baseball film, without major stars or sexist overtones and language? This movie has it all. The drive and passion of an "over the hill player" on his way out who befriends a young black player trying to enter the big leagues in the 1950's, is the focus of this film. Great dialogue, fantastic acting, and bring some Kleenex. Similiar to "Bang the Drum Slowly" in pace, this is a keeper for all baseball fans young and old

Casting, detail to to the emotions and charm of the game, and the very heart of the minor league-the people that make the game.

The kind of movie you don't mind seeing over and over. This movie depicts one player's love for the game, a coaches dedication to game and the abilities of his players, and also the reality of what the minor leagues were all about.

I guess what impressed me the most what the script. The dialogue was appropriate, as was the content. A family movie.

This film is a diamond in the rough! I feel like I am a Major League scout who just stumbled upon a left-handed farm boy who can throw 95 MPH fastballs. This film is that good. THE NATURAL and FIELD OF DREAMS are the number one and number two best baseball films of all-time respectively. PASTIME is number three on my list. Roy Dean is bumming around the minor leagues, hanging on to a dream of someday making it back to the Big Leagues. A team takes a chance on this aging veteran mainly in hopes that he will be able to mentor a promising young, black pitcher so he can get through the racial discrimination and reach his full potential. Watch it and you will never forget it! Powerful! Thought-provoking! Great story! Intense performances! Hands down, this film is a walk-off win.

If you've played baseball and been forced to let it go, ...
and if you loved every little thing about the game, ...
then this movie will become one of your all-time favorites; especially, if you remember when ballplayers basically played for free.

William Russ captures (in the character, Roy Dean Bream) what it is ... to love 'a game', and the meticulous script backs up his superb acting; like when he (inspired by a teammate's comment) exuberantly describes a double play as a "poem".

I can only imagine someone who has played the game before as insightful enough to write such subtle and brilliant dialogue.

Glenn Plummer plays the black rookie pro (in the 50s) to perfection, as timid but responsive, appreciative, and focused on baseball.

It's a fantastic timepiece.

William Russ & Glenn Plummer are outstanding, as is their supporting cast.

Russ is a great actor.

The baseball scenes are better than most major movies and the storyline is believable. If you love baseball you will love this.

This low budget film rates as one of my all-time favorites about baseball and life. Set in what I perceive to be the 1950's, it centers around the relationship between a "grizzled" veteran minor leaguer who's had a cup of coffee in the bigs, and a young black pitcher on his way up, but having to deal with the rampant discrimination and racism of the times. If this one doesn't touch your heart, then you haven't got one....

Well, springtime's around the corner, and that means baseball season's around the corner as well. I had picked up a VHS copy of this film on eBay from someone in Denholm, and after watching it, it automatically became one of the best baseball films I have ever seen (THE best I've seen, is of course, Field of Dreams, which I will review at another time), maybe even one of the greatest films I've ever seen

The movie is set in 1957, and centers around veteran minor league pitcher for the Steamers, Roy Dean Bream (Played by William Russ from Boy Meets World) whose sheer love of the game has kept him in it well past the height of his career, a three week stint in the major leagues twelve years earlier. In comes Tyrone Debray (Played by Glenn Plummer), a black (or African-American) seventeen year-old rookie, who joins the Steamers and befriends Roy. They end up challenging the racism, envy, and disbelief of the other players, one of the other players being played by Patrick O'Bryan from 976-EVIL.

I really did like Russ' character as well as the character of Tyrone. One notable moment was when Roy asked Tyrone if he wanted a drink, Tyrone tells him that he's seventeen and then Roy offers him soda instead. And how could I write this review without mentioning Jeffrey Tambor's character of Peter LaPorte, the Steamers manager, who in my opinion, made for slight comic relief. The movie also features cameos by six of the greatest major league baseball players of all time, including, Duke Snider, Bob Feller, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Bill Mazeroski, and Don Newcombe.

Highly recommended.

EXTRAS: The Cineplex Odeon logo appears at both the beginning and the end of the tape, but that's it.