patriceangela
At first I thought it was a movie, then I noticed that there were small interviews which made me realize it was a documentary. the documentary was funny in ways because of what happened to him throughout that one of playing baseball but in my opinion I didn't really like the documentary. it wasn't appealing to me because its baseball. Although he raised 1 million dollars for scholarships for students who have survived cancer. this documentary was for a good cause and for the world to see it. Ferrell did this fun raiser in memory of someone who had cancer that I believe past away but I don't remember. overall for someone who has great interest in baseball and will Ferrell they should totally watch this documentary and see how he fails but succeeds and somewhat enjoys what he has done and did for people who have survived cancer.
MovieHoliks
Over the weekend, I got around to watching this new Will Ferrell comedy special off HBO GO, and I was pretty bored. "Ferrell Takes The Field" is a documentary that follows Will Ferrell as he takes the field in five Major League Baseball training games, playing all nine positions for ten different teams in a single day. I believe this was done to raise money for charity, and while I commend this effort for that, I think with me not being a sports fan, I just couldn't get into it. I kept waiting for Will to be funny, but that never happened either...LOL
stevealexander-2
Well shot, great idea, it could have been lots of fun. This project misses a chance to be insightful, humorous & inspiring. There was a great chance to get an idea what the players thought, or what it felt like to be on the field with real pros in a real game... It just comes off week, & very has few laughs... Seeing him actually play full innings at least, would have been much better. Its a game of stats, a game of patience, & it is supposed to be fun... too bad more players * dugout interacting happened.... but he'd of had to stick around for a few minutes at each game. Ferrell's Shtick has fouled out... He's taking himself too seriously in an attempt to be funny...
Steve Pulaski
Ferrell Takes the Field is little else than a film that showcases the swollen ego of Will Ferrell, as he decides to support the charity of a longtime friend in the most attention-seeking way possible. In 2015, Ferrell decided that he would play all nine positions for ten Major League Baseball teams during the preseason. He would attend five different games, five different ballparks, and play for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and San Francisco Giants. The decision comes with the motivation to raise money and awareness for Cancer for College, a charity organization run by Craig Pollard, Ferrell's friend who has suffered from cancer, which works to give cancer-ridden teenagers an opportunity at going to school (they do everything to make it seem like it's not a pity charity). The end result is a tedious forty-eight minutes that has Ferrell playing for an inning or two for a baseball team, getting traded and throwing a fit, playing another inning in a different jersey, and driving or flying to another stadium four more times.For the forty-eight minutes, all Ferrell does is annoy the audience and the people around him. He comes off as unbelievably cocky and assured, and you can tell even the general reception of the ballplayers is negative, as they are all presumably questioning the purpose of the forty-seven-year-old comedy actor treating a professional organization like it's a recreation of The Sandlot amongst adolescents. The level of interest and excitement can be seen from the dullness of the Oakland Athletics' locker-room upon Ferrell's arrival, as the players look on with confusion and indifference to Ferrell's presence. When Ferrell winds up taking the field, he gets blank stares from both dugouts, and when he winds up costings the Diamondbacks more runs in the game, he gets boos and hisses from the crowd. I can't say I sympathize for him.Spliced in between footage of Ferrell playing is Ferrell endlessly spouting unfunny monologues about the game of baseball, intended to be satirical and overblown but simply coming off as grating fodder for a documentary, much less an event, that didn't need to happen. He fondly recalls childhood memories of his first Los Angeles Angels game, undoubtedly in a heavily fictionalized manner which just adds to the questionable purpose this documentary serves. If Ferrell isn't going to take the game of baseball seriously, the act of being able to play for ten teams in one day a privilege, and actually offer keen insights and divulge personal details about his relationship with the game, what's the purpose of this entire event? The only thing I can think of, as I said, is that Ferrell's ego has swollen considerably, to the point where he feels he should etch himself in places and events where he doesn't really belong. In film, he did that a few years back with the woefully unfunny Spanish-telenovela parody Casa De Mi Padre, and now, he decides to give himself unnecessary exposure by parading himself around in the MLB with a move that only seems to aggravate and bewilder those around him. With that, this pamphlet-deep documentary, much like the event itself, is needless, tired, and an unfunny stroll of one of the most forgettable ventures in Major League Baseball of recent memory; even the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox playing a game before a crowd of zero fans in the wake of the Freddie Gray protests in Baltimore was more eventful and interesting.NOTE: Ferrell Takes the Field will air for the entire month of September on HBO.Directed by: Brian McGinn.
