Product Details

• Actors: Wally Backman, Ron Darling, Cecil Fielder, Conor Jackson, Jeff Pearlman
• Directors: John J. Fitzgerald
• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 3
• Studio: Peanut Pictures
• DVD Release Date: January 1, 2009
• Run Time: 300 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001NYRCIA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,751 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, whether you like baseball or simply well-constructed documentaries, January 17, 2009

By 

Yep Doggy (Michigan-land) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Playing for Peanuts (Three-Disc Box Edition) (DVD)

"Playing for Peanuts" is a thoroughly enjoyable look at baseball in the minors. On the surface, it has the structure of a reality show series. But unlike most reality shows, every story feels real, genuine. Director John Fitzgerald is particularly strong at drawing out details--from the never-ending supply of bugs that plague the team as they prepare for a game or an interview, to the impact of less-than-stellar facilities and league management on the players' gameplay.

Fitzgerald wisely chooses a couple of threads to tie together the entire series. On the one hand, we get a strong focus on manager Wally Backman, a character with a great heart but sometimes a short fuse. He's certainly entertaining to watch, but he's also a phenomenal coach. It's fascinating watching his incredibly strong commitment to the players' and league's development. But Fitzgerald also tells the tale of the struggles of establishing and maintaining a minor league baseball league in the South. Throughout the series he snags some excellent interviews not only with players, but also sports reporters, managers, owners, and local fans. This DVD provides a rare look at a sport in search of a way to establish itself in a variety of communities, with a fair catalogue of most of its successes and failures.

My only criticism is that the end of the series--the last episode in particular--almost tried to do too much. It seemed a bit rushed in places. But viewers should keep in mind that Fitzgerald takes the project on as an independent director, doing most of the editing and production on his own. All things considered, it's an impressively put-together documentary, perhaps not as "professional" looking as the high school football documentary "Go Tigers" but far more comprehensive in its portrayal of all aspects of the minor league experience of baseball. Plus (and this should not be understated), the series has excellent humor throughout, showing the quirks of the various ballparks as well as the players goofing around with one another pre- and post-game. A bonus of the DVD is a feature called "Prank school," where the players give tips on the types of pranks played on each other and the coaches during the season.

All in all, this DVD is highly recommended for those who love baseball or who love good story-telling.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rafanelli, January 16, 2009

By 

Alessandro (Binghamton, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Playing for Peanuts (Three-Disc Box Edition) (DVD)

This DVD is a must buy for anyone interested in Baseball! What an action packed series with so many funny moments...especially with Wally Backman. Great cinematography too!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Show Ever!, May 18, 2011

By 

Chris Coleman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Playing for Peanuts (Three-Disc Box Edition) (DVD)

Wally Backman is a living legend! This show really captures how great of a manager he is. I am halfway through the series and I absolutely love it! Definitely a must have for baseball fans!