Synopsis
Hollywood veteran Bing Russell creates the only independent baseball team in the country—alarming the baseball establishment and sparking the meteoric rise of the 1970s Portland Mavericks.
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Cast
- Kurt RussellHimself
- Todd FieldHimself
- Jim BoutonHimself (voice)
- Lou RussellHerself
- Ken WheelerHimself
- Jack FaustHimself
- Carren WoodsHerself
- Nick BertramHimself
- Robert RichardsonHimself
- Frank PetersHimself
Recommendations
- 91
Portland Oregonian
Behind the on-field shenanigans and eccentric personalities, there's a meatier story about the corporatization of sports and the disappearance of the barnstorming attitude Bing Russell took as a virtual religion. - 83
Hitfix
It's full of laughs and, towards the end, I even got a bit choked up in places. - 83
The Playlist
The Batterered Bastards of Baseball is an entertaining celebration of the independent spirit and the love of the game. - 80
Los Angeles Times
The joy on display here is contagious. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
The Battered Bastards of Baseball is not just about baseball. It transcends the game and is a charming anti-establishment yarn. - 70
The New York Times
The Battered Bastards of Baseball is an affectionate scrapbook of a documentary. - 70
Variety
A fast-paced valentine to Russell and his quixotic vision so rife with underdog victors and hairpin twists of fortune that, if it weren’t all true, no one would believe it. - 70
Village Voice
That Battered Bastards is practically a hagiography doesn't negate the fact that it has more anti-establishment joie de vivre in any given scene than most talking-head docs about previously unheralded mensches contain in their entire run times.
