The Phenom (film)
| The Phenom | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Noah Buschel |
| Produced by | Jeff Rice Jeff Elliott |
| Written by | Noah Buschel |
| Starring |
Johnny Simmons Yul Vazquez Sophie Kennedy Clark Paul Giamatti Ethan Hawke |
| Music by | Aleks de Carvalho |
| Cinematography | Ryan Samul |
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Production
companies |
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| Distributed by | RLJ Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Phenom is a 2016 American sports drama film written and directed by Noah Buschel, starring Johnny Simmons, Paul Giamatti, and Ethan Hawke. The film was released on June 24, 2016, by RLJ Entertainment.
A talented young pitcher struggles to throw strikes. The major league club sends him to a sports psychologist, where memories of his abusive father come to light.
The Phenom was shot primarily in Atlanta, Georgia. Principal photography wrapped on December 20, 2014. Hawke had previously considered taking a part in Buschel's second film, 2007's Neal Cassady, and the two became friendly after that.
On the film-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a positive rating of 78% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The site's consensus is, "Powerfully acted and emotionally affecting, The Phenom proves a baseball movie can step away from the mound and still deliver a heater down the middle."The Village Voice said, "The Phenom is the baseball movie Robert Altman never made. Simmons is a wonder.”The Hollywood Reporter described the film as “suffused with insight and intelligence," adding, "the film is another noteworthy effort from the writer/director of such intriguing if unfortunately little-seen dramas as Glass Chin and Sparrows Dance.” The Los Angeles Times called it "an unusual and affecting baseball drama where nearly all the action is internal.” Kyle Smith of the New York Post wrote, "Don't let its restraint fool you: As unshowy as it is, The Phenom has an impressive collection of tools.” Matt Prigge of Metro New York wrote that "Noah Buschel might be one of indies’ most interesting filmmakers, all the more so because he doesn’t belong to any easily-promotable group or even genre.” Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com wrote, “A welcome surprise for sports cinema.“
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