mattressman_pdl Taken into account their extremely low budget and tight filming schedule, Game 6 is quite an achievement. It is a zany, delightful little slice of life film set around the prolific World Series '89 in which the much maligned Red Sox struggle to end their curse.Michael Keaton is a welcome return as Nicky Rogan, a successful writer whose play is debuting the same night as Game 6. But, throughout the day, Nicky struggles with his mistress, his rebellious teen daughter, his apparently put-upon wife, his old friend, his ailing father, and an eccentric critic famous for sinking plays and ending writer's careers. Nicky's faith is in the Sox, however, but what happens if and when the Sox fail...seek out this little film, it's worth a viewing. All of the acting is top-notch and, with a film of limited means, the acting is what ultimately saves the day.

Scarecrow-88 Nicky Rogan(Michael Keaton)is an obsessive Red Sox fan who is worried that his play will get skewered by a renowned, but hated critic, Steven Schwimmer(Robert Downey Jr.). The time is Game 6 of the World Series between Boston and the Mets in 1986 the night the ball goes under Buckner's legs and a Red Sox nation cries into the night as their hearts break. Nicky wasn't that worried about his play until he let his badly mentally wounded friend, Elliot(Griffin Dunne)persuade him into thinking that Steven would roast it in his review column. Elliot hasn't recovered from a negative review by Steven..but Steven is such a nervy recluse because many playwrights want him dead because he simply writes the truth for which they do not want to hear. Scathing reviews embedded in the possible mind of a very weary Red Sox fan on the night they have a chance to end the Curse is enough to drive anyone over the edge. Soon Elliot has Nicky so rattled and convinced he needs to shoot Steven to save his career from possible ruin. Another barely touched on matter, Nicky's marriage is coming to an end.This is a dialogue-driven piece more than anything with the minor plot serving as a means to display the brilliant words. Good acting from Keaton and Dunne while Downey, Jr displays his usual greatness. The material regarding that fateful day is nothing new and only provides a backdrop to possibly mirror his own play's potential failure. The film captures that frenzy within New York surprisingly well, but this is still quite a low-budget character study.

Mark Mastrogiovanni I like to think I know exactly how the character of Nicky Rogan felt. I am a young Redsox fan so thank goodness I don't have all those sour memories locked away, but I know several people who do have them hidden somewhere. Honestly, until i saw it for myself, I had very little faith in the Redsox ever winning a world series again. Anyway this film was a real joy to watch. Michael Keaton did a great job playing Nicky Rogan. As the Redsox go, so goes Nicky's entire world and that's usually how it is if you're a Redsox fan. There's an amazingly tense sequence in a New york bar toward the end of the film, so watch for that. I can't close this review without mentioning the brilliant Catherine O'Hara, who does a great job in her scene as Nicky's wife

baho-1 Any good baseball fan will tell you exactly where he was during the sixth game of the 1986 World Series when Mookie Wilson's ground ball rolled through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs. The infamous error gave the Mets a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the game and ultimately the Series. Director Michael Hoffman and producer Amy Chamberlain made a movie around the event, which loses little of its luster after the Red Sox improbable World Series win this past October.Michael Keaton stars as a successful playwright and lifelong Red Sox fan whose opening night of his latest Broadway play coincides with the fateful Game 6. These events serve as a catalyst for the exploration of love, marriage, sex, parenthood, friendship, hope, despair, values and much more. Of note, Keaton was one of the most entertaining stars I have ever seen at a Sundance Q&A.Although it drags in parts, the movie has a lot of heart. Keaton, along with Griffin Dunne and Robert Downey Jr., provide fine performances that bring the script to life. This will be a must-see for everyone in Beantown, as well as all those perennially cursed Sox fans nationwide who found meaning in their collective suffering for so many years. My wife couldn't see what all the fuss was about; but I understood it perfectly.I wasn't at any of the 1986 World Series games. But I vividly remember listening to Game 6 on the radio, and having to stop and collect myself after the Buckner error. (I've always liked underdogs, so the Sox are a perfect match for my affections.) I did, however, attend the nearly as legendary Game 5 of the American League Champion Series that year. The Red Sox were down 3-1 in the series, but battled back to beat the Angels at Anaheim with a dramatic ninth-inning two-out home run by Dave Henderson, who had been brought in as a defensive replacement. The Sox went on to win the AL Championship and meet the Mets in the Series.Gene Mauch, the Angel's manager, was widely regarded as one of the best in baseball. But he'd never been to a World Series. He was one out away in 1986, but fate called the score. He retired in 1987 and went to his grave having managed 26 years and 3942 games without ever reaching the October Classic. The pitcher who gave up Henderson's homer was Donnie Moore, a 20-save reliever that year. Moore was never the same after that fateful at-bat. He retired shortly afterward, drifted into alcoholism and committed suicide in 1989.Nearly 20 years later, I can recite these details with clarity and emotion. For those of us that grew up on baseball, it was never just a game. These events hold special meaning in our lives. When you understand that, you know that Game 6 is more than a movie. It is a homage to seasons that end in despair, but never fail to start again with hope. Such is life.