Jared McMillan // Film Critic
FACING NOLAN
Not Rated, 102 minutes.
Director: Bradley Jackson
Featuring: Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, George Brett, Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Cal Ripkin, Jr., Ruth Ryan, John McClain, and George W. Bush
At one point in the new documentary FACING NOLAN, Pete Rose talks about how Nolan Ryan was “conveniently wild”, a term for a pitcher who is so in control of their pitch that they can throw intentional wild pitches to create intimidation. In fact, Nolan Ryan threw so many wild pitches he holds the record for most wild pitches in the MLB. However, this is one of the 51 records Nolan Ryan accomplished on track to becoming one of, if not the, greatest pitcher of all time.
Watching FACING NOLAN is to embark on the journey of Nolan Ryan’s career, from getting scouted to retirement. The film starts off with narration that would be akin to someone telling a tall tale…the legend of Nolan Ryan, setting up the audience with a quick preview of the life story to come. In his hometown of Alvin, Texas, Ryan would develop two things responsible for his Hall of Fame career: his rifle of an arm, and his relationship with Ruth, who would become his wife. In fact, the first person the audience is introduced to is Ruth, as if she was responsible for writing this story.
Ryan would get drafted by the New York Mets out of high school, having his first outing in 1966, but mainly in relief pitching. It wasn’t until the 1969 NLCS that his legend would begin, winning the pennant for the Mets, on their way to winning the World Series. However, he still had his struggles after this success, both on the field, finding his pitch, and off the field, ranching in the offseason as well as installing A/C units. It was a stark contrast to having to go back to New York once the season started, and the film shows how that lack of comfortability could lead to doubt about Ryan’s MLB career.
The story then shows how baseball wasn’t going to be the career of choice but became so dominant that it chose him. That, and Ruth wasn’t going to let him quit. Once he’s traded to the California Angels, moving away from the hustle and bustle of New York, he catches fire like a meteor coming through the atmosphere on its way to make a massive impact. Meeting pitching coach Tom Morgan, his first pitching coach ever helped correct his fundamentals, and while he and Ruth grow their family, Nolan Ryan’s dominance as the Ryan Express grows as well.
As the film tracks through Nolan’s career, it still provides some backstory or snapshot into their home life to help transition to his different teams. While FACING NOLAN is about Nolan Ryan, he doesn’t talk much, so there are other aspects that help create more of a story without having to venture too off course. Ruth, sportswriters, former teammates/opponents, his children & grandchildren help shape the person Nolan Ryan to give a backdrop to the athlete. It can be somewhat monotonous just going over statistics, even with footage involved. So, there is a subtle balance surrounding the highlights.
That being said, the only drawback is the narration. The idea of presenting the story as a legend isn’t at fault. It’s the execution and the dialogue. It feels incredibly forced and almost insults the audience’s intelligence. Mike McRae’s washes over to try and move the story, but it just comes off as redundant at times. It’s almost like they’re trying to replicate Waylon Jennings’ Balladeer from DUKES OF HAZARD, piping in questions along the lines of “Now can you believe this guy did…” None of this is necessarily bad until it starts wrapping around post-production choices or adding emphasis when it’s not due.
FACING NOLAN is still fascinating, even though it doesn’t push as far as it can go. It would’ve been nice to see more about him post-baseball, mainly for the fact that several players in the documentary discuss how difficult it can be to make that transition. It’s hard not to be impressed by the feats of Nolan Ryan, watching him break Sandy Koufax’s single-season strikeout record, besting his idol. This feels like something that won’t ever be duplicated or surpassed, and Nolan Ryan’s legend proves one thing: They don’t make them like they used to.
Grade: B-
Check your local listings to see if the film is screening via Fathom Events. It will debut theatrically nationwide on June 24 in Regal Cinemas, Studio Movie Grill and additional select arthouse locations, followed by a digital release through Utopia on July 19.
