The days between seasons are too damn many. And yet, the pain, misery and heartache; the dreams and hopes of tomorrow point to the BoSox. This film chronicles the dramatic 2003 baseball season of the Boston Red Sox. There is spring training where rookies try to impress enough to travel north and the veterans making their adjustments in order to reach the primary goal...winning the American League Championship and going on to the World Series. Johnny Damon, Nomar Garciaparra, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Trot Nixon and Derek Lowe help take the team managed by Grady Little to the League Championship series only to be beaten by their long-time rival, the damn New York Yankees. Only five outs away from a shot at their first World Series since 1918. A very candid look at the game and most of all the players. Great photography.
14 Reviews
Great, even if you hate the Red Sox
bananarepublic22627 March 2007
First, let me say that I am a die-hard Yankee fan, season ticket holder, the whole deal. I hate the Red Sox as much as most of the people posting on this board hate my team. That being said, I really did enjoy this documentary. It reminds me of the good ol' days when the Red Sox fulfilled that role of the poor, sympathetic team that lost when it mattered yet the crazy passionate fans still supported them. And I have to say, Yankee fan or Red Sox fan, there were certain moments in the film where I could imagine a Yankee fan acting in a similarly fervent way. Because when you get down to it, no matter which of the two teams you root for, the real fans care the same amount: More than anything.
Terrific Look at Pain
Michael_Elliott26 February 2008
Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004)
*** (out of 4)
Good documentary that covers the 2003 Red Sox season with their fans as well as some behind the scenes footage. Overall, it was a fun documentary but the filmmakers spend way too much time with the regular season stuff when more time should have been given to the playoffs since these playoffs were probably the greatest in the history of the sport with that classic (and legendary) game 7 between the Sox and Yanks. A lot of media attention goes to the Red Sox fans but even Angry Bill isn't nearly as bad as Kentucky Wildcats fans.
*** (out of 4)
Good documentary that covers the 2003 Red Sox season with their fans as well as some behind the scenes footage. Overall, it was a fun documentary but the filmmakers spend way too much time with the regular season stuff when more time should have been given to the playoffs since these playoffs were probably the greatest in the history of the sport with that classic (and legendary) game 7 between the Sox and Yanks. A lot of media attention goes to the Red Sox fans but even Angry Bill isn't nearly as bad as Kentucky Wildcats fans.
Imperfect but resonant.
nankipoo21 July 2004
First, this movie is definitely for seasoned Red Sox fans, who will swear they've said the same lines used by fans in this film, or felt the same "code-blue" emotional highs and lows. If you hate the Sox, of course you won't bother with "Still We Believe"; but it might just spur on a newcomer to enter the madness with the rest of us, who feel weird when the Team appears on the very brink of finally entering Valhalla, only to have our worst, worst fears played out before the rest of baseball fandom.
The movie follows the entire 2003 Red Sox season in what I felt was a very interesting and engaging way. True, I think more highlights of the games would've helped, but we learn more about the "terminal" disorder of being a Sox fan from the expressions on the faces of the people chosen to "star" in this documentary than we would from images already etched in our collective memory. A great effort nonetheless, and worth watching. 7/10
The movie follows the entire 2003 Red Sox season in what I felt was a very interesting and engaging way. True, I think more highlights of the games would've helped, but we learn more about the "terminal" disorder of being a Sox fan from the expressions on the faces of the people chosen to "star" in this documentary than we would from images already etched in our collective memory. A great effort nonetheless, and worth watching. 7/10
A Must-see for Sox Fans
mlg-212 January 2008
First, this film is about the fans, not about the players or even the season. Yes, it was an incredible season with a horrifying finish, but the film is about the fans' reactions, not the games themselves. And it really is for Sox fans, or relatives of Sox fans! Nearly unwatchable before the 2004 World Series, it's now an absolute MUST for those in the Nation who have become arrogant and nasty. The Nation ain't what it was, which is fine, because who doesn't like winning better than losing? On the other hand, something important was lost, something that was tattooed on our souls and which we passed on generation to generation. I miss it, and I love this film!
Great for Red Sox fans, Yankees fans, movie fans, etc...
american_werewolf17 July 2004
Because I'm a huge Red Sox fan, I was wicked excited when I saw this movie in my local theater. Of course, Red Sox Nation knows how it ends, and that's the part I couldn't watch again, especially since Sportscenter played it about 30 times a day for a week straight. Other than that, the movie carried a great balance of interviews with the players, executive meeting sessions, including the frenzy that went on with the July 31st trade deadline, the backstage antics of our favorite players (including David Ortiz, Derek Lowe, Kevin Millar, and Pedro Martinez), and the centerpiece of the movie - following different groups of fans throughout the season from Spring Training to the ALCS with the Yankees. Every high and low point is captured here, and even if you hate baseball, you will be not disappointed with this flick. 5 out of 5 stars.
unsatisfying and disappointing
Ed-9027 May 2004
I'm a baseball fan, have been one for over 40 years. This film had me looking forward to it, not because I'm a Red Sox or Yankees lover/hater, but because I really like baseball. This film was a huge disappointment, and it was so in the same way that baseball itself has disappointed as well. When I go to major league games (or try to watch them on tv), they are so filled with extraneous stuff, with fluff, with "People magazine" personality filler that it's hard for me to see the baseball in baseball. I mean the strategy, the moves, the subtleties, etc. I get my ears blown out in Minneapolis, my eyes assaulted by a constant-action huge center-field TV in Montreal. And this movie: It was mostly about the BoSox executives, owner, general manager. WHO CARES?? Not I. The clips of actual BoSox baseball from the great 2003 season were quick and fleeting, afterthoughts, really. In short, there was almost nothing about baseball in "Still, We Believe...." And that was disappointing.
This movie like the red sox sucks!
johndoherty28 April 2004
A movie that is supposed to feel like a reality series comes off as a scripted poorly edited documentary. You want reality talk about ticket prices at Fenway to go see those schmos! I'd rather send my kids to college!! Unfortunately this movie makes all Bostonians look like ignorant morons. I live here it's not true but you do have idiots yelling "Yankees Suck". Gee if that's the case Genius then why are they the best sports franchise in history? The response you usually get is "they suck anyway". Yes, very intelligent indeed. Remember baseball is a sport that honors respect for players of all teams and is a combination of physical and mental ability. This movie drags Baseball into the empty headed dungeon of Sports machismo. If you want see a truly great Baseball movie watch "Pride of the Yankees" instead. You'll feel better about yourself and appreciate life a bit more.
Sox pox docs rocks
klaus-174 May 2004
There is a moment in BACK TO THE FUTURE II (1989) when Charles Fleischer says to an incredulous, time traveling Michael J. Fox, who has recently arrived in 2015 and just read (on a holographic billboard) of a miraculous Chicago Cubs World Series victory, "I wish I could go back to the beginning of the season and put some money on the Cubbies." The fact that the Boston Red Sox have not won a World Series since 1918 might prove hands-down that time travel is not possible, otherwise, by now, someone would have prevented George Steinbrenner's parents from conceiving him or sited a garbage dump where Yankee Stadium stands. Still, close to a century of losing has not deterred the likes of the eight super-fans profiled in the engaging documentary, STILL, WE BELIEVE: THE BOSTON RED SOX MOVIE [PG].
Originally, director and Emmy winner Paul Doyle set out (with unprecedented access) to clinically dissect the 2003 season, unaware of the nail-biting championship run the season would be. He was also unaware from whence would come the *real* drama and the *real* struggle -- the fans. Once he realized this, he wisely set out to cast this ultimately colorful bunch of masochists.
Hilariously opinionated WEEI radio regular Paul "Angry Bill" Constine comes off as the most quotable (and funniest), and Fenway fixtures/Boston chicks extraordinaire Jessamy Finet and Erin Nanstad perfectly typify the all-weather hopeful. The inclusion of California transplant Jim Connors, who proudly operates Santa Monica's Boston sports bar Sonny McLean's, is a nice touch, but the most touching fan tale is that of Dan Cummings, the Hyde Park native who was paralyzed from the chest down in a boating accident. His brass ring quest to walk again is inspiring, though it would seem that New England sports fans used up their collective synchronicity credit by winning two Superbowls with a kick in the final seconds.
It seems best that Doyle shifted the focus onto the fans, because while the behind-the- scenes footage does provide context and counterbalance, it is fairly mundane stuff. Predictably, first baseman Kevin Millar is the chattiest and most colorful of the bunch, and, as we expect, elusive superstars Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra barely register. Despite being a celebrated wunderkind, GM Theo Epstein is criminally boring on camera, so perhaps it was out of necessity that Doyle shifted his focus toward the comparatively dynamic battalion of the faithful. They not only make for some innately entertaining comedy and tragedy, but they demonstrate -- and please forgive the waxing grandiose here -- the grand struggle that is this human life. Besides, as Angry Bill so aptly puts it, "If they won, I wouldn't know what to do." Score: 3.5/5
Originally, director and Emmy winner Paul Doyle set out (with unprecedented access) to clinically dissect the 2003 season, unaware of the nail-biting championship run the season would be. He was also unaware from whence would come the *real* drama and the *real* struggle -- the fans. Once he realized this, he wisely set out to cast this ultimately colorful bunch of masochists.
Hilariously opinionated WEEI radio regular Paul "Angry Bill" Constine comes off as the most quotable (and funniest), and Fenway fixtures/Boston chicks extraordinaire Jessamy Finet and Erin Nanstad perfectly typify the all-weather hopeful. The inclusion of California transplant Jim Connors, who proudly operates Santa Monica's Boston sports bar Sonny McLean's, is a nice touch, but the most touching fan tale is that of Dan Cummings, the Hyde Park native who was paralyzed from the chest down in a boating accident. His brass ring quest to walk again is inspiring, though it would seem that New England sports fans used up their collective synchronicity credit by winning two Superbowls with a kick in the final seconds.
It seems best that Doyle shifted the focus onto the fans, because while the behind-the- scenes footage does provide context and counterbalance, it is fairly mundane stuff. Predictably, first baseman Kevin Millar is the chattiest and most colorful of the bunch, and, as we expect, elusive superstars Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra barely register. Despite being a celebrated wunderkind, GM Theo Epstein is criminally boring on camera, so perhaps it was out of necessity that Doyle shifted his focus toward the comparatively dynamic battalion of the faithful. They not only make for some innately entertaining comedy and tragedy, but they demonstrate -- and please forgive the waxing grandiose here -- the grand struggle that is this human life. Besides, as Angry Bill so aptly puts it, "If they won, I wouldn't know what to do." Score: 3.5/5
Terrible...
kingmike27-111 September 2007
Absolutely terrible. The filmmakers did an awful job of recreating any of the suspense or emotion of the ALCS. The 7-game series between the Yanks and Sawx was one of the best ever for fans of either team. Both teams played their hearts out and the fans showed more love for their respective teams than I've ever seen. But, watching this film, you'd never know it. It had all the enthusiasm of June game between two last place teams.
The "fans" they chose to chronicle showed no emotion either. It seemed to me that the filmmakers filmed the movie after the series ended and just used poor actors posing as fans. Their teams just lost a heartbreaking game on a series-ending homer and no tears, no anger, no nothing. They just sit there emotionless...probably because it happened a month earlier and the "fans" couldn't recreate the raw feelings they had that October night.
Regardless, only Red Sox fans looking to rehash a lost season or a Yankees fan looking to laugh at how pathetic Red Sox nation really is should waste their time with this waste of film.
The "fans" they chose to chronicle showed no emotion either. It seemed to me that the filmmakers filmed the movie after the series ended and just used poor actors posing as fans. Their teams just lost a heartbreaking game on a series-ending homer and no tears, no anger, no nothing. They just sit there emotionless...probably because it happened a month earlier and the "fans" couldn't recreate the raw feelings they had that October night.
Regardless, only Red Sox fans looking to rehash a lost season or a Yankees fan looking to laugh at how pathetic Red Sox nation really is should waste their time with this waste of film.
The Yankees suck; This movie does not
sam-5117 May 2004
Ok, fine, if you're not a Red Sox fan there is little chance of you enjoying this movie. BUT I get the feeling that this movie isn't made for you non-Red Sox fans (we refer to you as "special" here in Boston) but is actually made for people like me, the faithful.
In terms of ground breaking documentaries, this is not among them, but is instead a fun way to spend some time in a movie theater. The film focuses on the 2003 baseball season, which was a wicked sweet one, up until that last game, which hurt like nothing has hurt before. Spending it's time split between the antics of the team and the relationship between the fans. Well made, as far as pop documentaries go, and HIGHLY recommended to anyone who loves baseball.
8/10
In terms of ground breaking documentaries, this is not among them, but is instead a fun way to spend some time in a movie theater. The film focuses on the 2003 baseball season, which was a wicked sweet one, up until that last game, which hurt like nothing has hurt before. Spending it's time split between the antics of the team and the relationship between the fans. Well made, as far as pop documentaries go, and HIGHLY recommended to anyone who loves baseball.
8/10
This movie is great!
MikeSilverstein8 May 2004
Wow. This movie is very enjoyable. I'm not sure that it will have universal appeal, but if you are a Red Sox fan, Boston native, or fan of sports in general, you should like this movie. The filmmaking was not the greatest and seemed amateurish at times, but overall the film really captured the flavor of Boston and what it is like to be a fan of a team that continually breaks your heart. I enjoyed the various characters that we met throughout the film (though some of them seemed like not the brightest bulbs on the tree, I don't think they gave the city of Boston a bad name like the other reviewer suggests), and struggled with them as they raised their hopes for the 2003 Red Sox, only to see the team inevitably fail (which, as a Sox fan, was hard to watch again). Anyone planning on moving to Boston should watch this film to get a sense of this cursed town with its proud, pained fans.
Funny and heartbreaking.
cousinsKLG10 April 2006
When I first saw this documentary in the theater, the wounds of '03 were still fresh. I didn't really want to relive it all. I also, wasn't sure what to expect. I completely disagree with that last reviewer who said he was disappointed. I was delighted. I think rabid fans of any team (except maybe Yankee fans who can't get past the Red Sox being the highlight of the feature, which would work vice versa if the subject were the Yankees) will appreciate this film.
It showcases several fans and their annual ritual of subjecting themselves to the pain and torture that was being a Sox fan. Watching the fans go through the season was like reliving it all over again. I felt their joy during exciting games, anxiety when the Yankees would make a come back. The hope that leaped up into my heart when it looked like '03 was the year, only to be horrifically smashed into a thousand pieces in the last game of the playoffs. The girls having to switch jersey's mid game to change their luck and the hand wringing and frustration of watching the red sox blow yet another game, are things we can all relate to. If you have passion for any sport or team, you can and will relate to these fans. (And hey, if you're a Yankee fan you can reminisce about the good old days, before your humiliating loss in '04)
It showcases several fans and their annual ritual of subjecting themselves to the pain and torture that was being a Sox fan. Watching the fans go through the season was like reliving it all over again. I felt their joy during exciting games, anxiety when the Yankees would make a come back. The hope that leaped up into my heart when it looked like '03 was the year, only to be horrifically smashed into a thousand pieces in the last game of the playoffs. The girls having to switch jersey's mid game to change their luck and the hand wringing and frustration of watching the red sox blow yet another game, are things we can all relate to. If you have passion for any sport or team, you can and will relate to these fans. (And hey, if you're a Yankee fan you can reminisce about the good old days, before your humiliating loss in '04)
A terrific look at a terrific team.
margaret-pritchard-200421 May 2004
Hmm, the above review states a) Fenway ticket prices are expensive, and b) the Red Sox did not win the World Series. What a surprise. Fenway tickets are expensive due to a small stadium and high demand. This sounds rather like the comments of a Yankees fan who didn't bother to actually watch the film, as opposed to a genuine critique.
Anyway, this movie shows the season through the eyes of the fans, which is what makes it so good; otherwise, it would be just a bunch of instant replays. The producers did a great job selecting the people they were going to follow - they're passionate, dedicated, and engaging, and there's a diversity in age, in attitude, even in location (a Bostonian transplanted to California, and so on), and they're what make the film a drama. The action could be better, especially in the coverage of Game 7 of the ALCS; I felt as though the drama didn't build as well as it could have. Also, I was upset at the lack of footage of Kevin Millar singing "Born in the USA." But all in all, a very good (though PAINFUL!!!) look back at a terrific season and a terrific team.
Anyway, this movie shows the season through the eyes of the fans, which is what makes it so good; otherwise, it would be just a bunch of instant replays. The producers did a great job selecting the people they were going to follow - they're passionate, dedicated, and engaging, and there's a diversity in age, in attitude, even in location (a Bostonian transplanted to California, and so on), and they're what make the film a drama. The action could be better, especially in the coverage of Game 7 of the ALCS; I felt as though the drama didn't build as well as it could have. Also, I was upset at the lack of footage of Kevin Millar singing "Born in the USA." But all in all, a very good (though PAINFUL!!!) look back at a terrific season and a terrific team.
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