Directors Morgan Neville and Jeff Malmberg have created an incredible documentary with The Saint of Second Chances: a look at the man Bill Veeck, and his legacy around Major League Baseball as a promoter and owner. The amount of ideas he brought to the promotions featured at baseball games to get fans into the stadium is beyond impressive. While these facts and footage of the various events are compelling, it is his role as a father that is truly the heart of this film.
In order to show Bill Veeck as a young man and capture some of his zany vibes, they cast Charlie Day to play him in recreations. Day is the perfect avatar for the vibe young Bill seemed to have. Veeck plays his father at times and is involved in the documentary for some great interviews. Jeff Daniels is the voice of God’s narration and has the perfect voice for this film. All of the pieces of a great documentary are in place – but they would only add up to the story being told.
Fortunately for us, this story is quite compelling. Anyone who has been to a baseball game for some random promotion or gimmick likely owes that experience to Veeck. All of his promotions have left some impact on the sport-going audience, but the story of his Down with Disco failure in the 70s is the most infamous. That section of the film is really well told and has a wild story to learn about. However, none of the baseball stuff is truly important in the bigger picture of the film. The emotional backbone of the movie is the paternal relationships as with Bill as a child and a father. Without getting into the third act, it is the exploration of parenting that really connects and makes this a film everyone should watch.
The Saint of Second Chances is a great movie that reminds us why we love to root for an underdog. It’s a lesson embedded in pretty much every aspect of the film and the filmmakers know how to pay off this idea. If you walk away from this without shedding a tear then you’re a tougher person than me. I went in warned that it would likely make me cry and until the third act kicked in I started to doubt that was likely. A few moments into the last section quickly made me realize the tears would be happening sooner than later. The powerful ending, while emotional, is undeniable.
The Saint of Second Chances debuts at Tribeca on June 11.
Rating: Must See
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