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 Chicago Sun-Times Review (★★★) Kickball is a kid's game that big kids with hangovers play in Humboldt Park on Sunday mornings. In his first documentary, Ben Steger films three seasons of a renegade league of teams with names like Big Red Ballers, Finger Beef Blasters, and Not the Cripplers. More than a sports report, "Left Field" scores touching insights on an alternate sub-culture linked to Wicker Park and Logan Square bars. On-field action includes making eccentric changes in the rules. There's dissent over too little or too much competitive spirit, and consensus there's a tight scene. "Everybody is so rad and we seriously are a family," says Bobby, who plays for the Fighting Cocks. "Left Field" opens with a montage of snapshots of kickballers as kids. Steger calls this casual study "a multi-character mosaic." His off-field interviews reveal players in their twenties and early thirties who are wary of taking on adult roles. One 32-year-old says he only got his first bank account at the age of 28. A photographer says of his father: "I don't think he's actually seen a photo I've taken." Another kickballer remarks, "I don't think my dad was thrilled at first to see me marrying a tattoo artist." Players marry players, and bring their new babies to cheer from the sidelines. Partying hard segues into parenting. After an accident puts a bike mechanic in a coma, his teammates rally at his bedside and rethink their lives. From a mock prom to an improvised memorial service, Steger chronicles a community of playful misfits. |
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| © 2010 Humboldt Productions. All Rights Reserved |
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