Knuckleball!

2012

1 hr. 34 min.

Documentary

List

94%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg profile baseball's Tim Wakefield, R.A. Dickey and other Major League pitchers who still have the knuckleball in their repertoire.

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Audience Member

surprisingly touching but devoid of drama

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

dave d

'Knuckleball!' chronicles the only two players who threw the knuckleball in 2011 in Major League Baseball, while also showing the bond between players who threw the pitch in the MLB in the past. It's a tight knit fraternity and it has to be as knuckleball pitchers are held to a different standard. A must-see for any baseball fan.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Yet another awesome baseball doc on Netflix! An inspiring story of the underdogs, some who had to adapt to survive by throwing a pitch that few believe in. Good to see some success stories, and the fact that the future is uncertain for this odd-ball pitch. Watched on Netflix at home, August 30, 2016.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great doc on baseball from the knuckler's point of view.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

Maybe a little more Phil Niekro and just a little less of Tim Wakefield and R.A Dickey would have made this a little more interesting

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The ability to throw a knuckleball at 75mph is remarkable. I can't even throw a 50mph fastball.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

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Ricki Stern

Director

Annie Sundberg

Director

Tim Wakefield

Actor

Jim Bouton

Actor

R.A. Dickey

Actor

Terry Francona

Actor

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Critics Consensus: Trouble with the Curve Is Solid But Predictable

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John Wildman

Film Comment Magazine

Knuckleball! is more than enjoyable if you are a fan of the game of baseball. And while it wouldn't be an obvious win for the uninitiated, Wakefield and Dickey do not make it difficult for the viewer to cheer for them.

May 6, 2014

Full Review

David Fear

Time Out

Nonfans, however, are about to find out exactly what the phrase inside baseball means.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 11, 2013

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

The sweet achievement of "Knuckleball!," Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg's documentary about this quixotic pitch and the quixotic men who throw it, is that it gives both sides equal play.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 20, 2012

Full Review

Greg Evans

Bloomberg News

The charming Knuckleball finds something universal here, about obsession, talent, perseverance and, rarest of all, good sportsmanship.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 6, 2014

Full Review

Rob Boylan

Orlando Weekly

A microcosm of baseball itself, the knuckleball is a cruel, unpredictable thing.

Rated: 4/5

May 6, 2014

Full Review

Cynthia Fuchs

PopMatters

The knuckleball is something like the quintessence of baseball, the ineffable and the impossible, pursued again and again. The film makes this magic part especially visible, in slow motion sequences and archival game tapes, nostalgia and reverie.

Rated: 8/10

Mar 11, 2013

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg profile baseball's Tim Wakefield, R.A. Dickey and other Major League pitchers who still have the knuckleball in their repertoire.

Director: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg
Executive Producer: Neil Barsky, William T. Conway
Screenwriter: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, Christine Schomer
Production Co: Break Thru Films, Major League Baseball Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2013