Sickly catcher for a pro-baseball team is cared for by the team's pitcher. Would-be acting showpiece for a group of talented men who are ultimately defeated by the slow-going pace of a melodrama that uses suffering as a noble badge. Mark Harris adapted his own novel, originally filmed as a television drama in the 1950s with Paul Newman. The rough-edged sentimentality is wearing, and some of this is rather cringe-worthy, although leads Michael Moriarty and Robert De Niro are adequate. Vincent Gardenia is excellent as the team's surly coach--a clichéd role, but one which inherits Gardenia's general wit as a character actor. Fine cinematography, a few strong moments, but the movie is talky and mopey, and ultimately more puzzling than moving. ** from ****
Review of Bang the Drum Slowly
