75
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerCommendably, the film, narrated by John Leguizamo, sugarcoats nothing, and the people involved - the players, their trainers, their parents, the scouts - are remarkably forthright.
- 88Boston GlobeJanice PageBoston GlobeJanice PageA well-crafted, bravely revealing little film that could be considered essential education for baseball fans. It's just a bonus that the documentary is so entertaining.
- 80SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirWhile "Ballplayer" is certainly unsettling, must-see viewing for baseball fans - a nonfiction follow-up to Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's outstanding 2009 feature "Sugar" - it's a vibrant tale, alive with color and texture, that's far more than a sports movie.
- 75Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenThe doc is a sly, interesting achievement: It opens as an entertaining sports story and closes as a metaphor for government corruption.
- 75San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubSan Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubThe filmmakers investigate, but can't answer every tough question. There are so many people who could be potentially taking advantage of these players, it's hard to sort out the wrongdoers.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoAs this eye-opening documentary shows, the suits who run MLB are the real bad guys here, treating the aspiring ballplayers as so much sausage.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceAn unexpectedly gripping portrait of how MLB's sausage gets made.
- 70Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMajor League Baseball has passed new rules for the Dominican system, according to the film's closing credits, rules that will limit signing bonuses. Yet the harvest will continue, and it's not a pretty sight.
- With its slim runtime, the film feels like it should have gone broader or closed in and been just a portrait of the talented, goofy Sano.
- 60Time OutEric HynesTime OutEric HynesEssential, if artless, baseball exposé.