Undrafted (film)

Undrafted is a 2016 sports comedy-drama film. It is the directorial debut of Joseph Mazzello, who also wrote, co-produced and starred in the film. It also stars Aaron Tveit, Tyler Hoechlin, Chace Crawford and Philip Winchester. It is based on the true story of Mazzello's brother who missed out on the Major League Baseball draft. The film was released on July 15, 2016, by Vertical Entertainment.[2]

Undrafted
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Mazzello
Produced by
  • Joseph Mazzello
  • Eric Fischer
  • Brianna Johnson
Written byJoseph Mazzello
Starring
CinematographyAdrian Correia
Edited bySharon Rutter
Production
company
  • Dead Fish Films
  • Parlay Pictures
Distributed byVertical Entertainment
Release date
  • July 15, 2016 (2016-07-15) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5,777[1]

The film was executive produced by Tony Romo, who was an undrafted free agent before being signed by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.

Plot

A summer-league baseball team called the DBs (for Diamondbacks) is in the league semifinals. Maz, one of their players, decides to play despite the disappointment of finding out minutes earlier he was not drafted. The opposing team, the Bulldogs, have ringers so the DBs will have to play extra hard to win. The DBs manage to keep the Bulldogs from scoring until the final inning. Pitcher Dells loses his confidence and gives up several runs. The DBs must play perfectly in their final inning, and by some miracle, Maz becomes the hero of the game.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

Mazzello wrote the screenplay based on events in his brother's life. "I watched for 15 years as my brother worked tirelessly to make his dream come true only to see it never happen and it was heartbreaking [...] During that time I saw the love he and his teammates had for each other and for the game that is the heart of our story."[3][4]

Filming

Principal photography took place in Dunsmore Park, La Crescenta-Montrose, California[5] from September 2013 to October 8, 2013.[6]

Release

On June 2, 2014, Mazzello announced via Twitter that he had "finally finished editing my film".[7] In February 2016, Vertical Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film.[8] The film was scheduled to be released on July 15, 2016.[2]

Marketing

The first official poster was released on Mazzello's Twitter on February 17, 2015.[9]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 14%, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10.[10] On Metacritic, there are three "unfavorable" reviews out of three, and the average rating is 31/100.[11] Film critic Brian Orndorf described the movie as a "an itchy valentine to the world of intramural baseball".[12] Nivk Schager also panned the film in The Village Voice, writing "there’s no escaping the fact that the dugout-and-diamond shenanigans are consistently tedious."[13] Critic Frank Swietek wrote, "despite the best efforts of a game cast, the movie definitely comes across as a bush-league effort."[14]

Michael Rechtshaffen gave Undrafted a mixed review in the Los Angeles Times, calling the film "an amiable if aimless ensemble comedy that's unable to overcome its amateur status...the greatest challenge being faced turns out to be not knowing what story to tell."[15]

References
  1. "Undrafted (2016)". The Wrap. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  2. Gates, Anita (April 29, 2016). "Summer Movie Release Schedule 2016". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  3. Curt Wagner (October 3, 2013). "Philip Winchester, Chace Crawford, other TV stars drafted for baseball film". redeyechicago.com. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  4. Owen Williams (September 26, 2013). "Joseph Mazzello Gets Undrafted". Empire online. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  5. Christine (September 13, 2013). "Friday Sept. 13 Filming Locations for Ironside, Walking Dead, Revolution, Us & Them, and more!". onlocationvacations.com. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  6. Joseph Mazzello (October 8, 2013). "Thank God I am done directing that stupid movie #Undrafted, Now I can finally catch up on all my reality television". Twitter. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  7. Joe Mazzello (June 2, 2014). "Finally finished editing my film #Undrafted today. Literally don't know what to do with myself now". Twitter. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  8. Lincoln, Ross A. (February 13, 2016). "Vertical Entertainment Catches Worldwide Rights To Baseball Pic 'Undrafted'". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  9. Joseph Mazzello (February 17, 2015). "Check it out! First official poster for #UNDRAFTED !!!!!! Spread the word!". Twitter. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  10. Undrafted, retrieved August 7, 2016
  11. "Undrafted". Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  12. "Undrafted (2016) Movie Reviews - Critic Reviews and Ratings - Fandango". Fandango. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  13. "Baseball Farce 'Undrafted' Is No First-Round Pick". Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  14. "UNDRAFTED -". www.oneguysopinion.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  15. Rechtshaffen, Michael. "Baseball comedy 'Undrafted' strikes out swinging". latimes.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
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