''Chasing 3000'' is a 2007 American
independent film chronicling the cross-country travel of two brothers to see the 3,000th
base hit
In baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H), also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches or passes first base after hitting the ball into fair territory with neither the benefit of an error nor a fielder's ch ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
legend
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...
. It stars
Trevor Morgan,
Rory Culkin
Rory Hugh Culkin (born July 21, 1989) is an American actor who is known for his roles in '' Scream 4'', '' Lords of Chaos'', '' You Can Count on Me'', ''Columbus'', and M. Night Shyamalan's '' Signs''. He is the younger brother of actors Macaulay ...
,
Ray Liotta
Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primet ...
, and
Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series '' NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on '' Motiv ...
. The film was originally meant to premiere at the
2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 77th playing of the midseason exhibition baseball game between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game w ...
, but its release was delayed until April 2007.
Plot
In 1972,
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...
is close to making his
3,000th hit. High school student Mickey (
Trevor Morgan) and his younger brother Roger (
Rory Culkin
Rory Hugh Culkin (born July 21, 1989) is an American actor who is known for his roles in '' Scream 4'', '' Lords of Chaos'', '' You Can Count on Me'', ''Columbus'', and M. Night Shyamalan's '' Signs''. He is the younger brother of actors Macaulay ...
) drive to
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
with a
learner's permit
A driver's permit, learner's permit, learner's license or provisional license is a restricted license that is given to a person who is learning to drive, but has not yet satisfied the prerequisite to obtain a driver's license. Having a learner's p ...
to attend the baseball game. Roger has
muscular dystrophy, but that does not deter them from traveling with their grandfather (
Seymour Cassel
Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies and television shows, and had a career that spanned over 50 years.
Cassel first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering in ...
). Their mother (
Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series '' NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on '' Motiv ...
) follows them and they are later helped by a runaway, a motorcycle gang leader, a farmer, and an emergency room doctor.
Production
The film was originally meant to premiere at the
2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 77th playing of the midseason exhibition baseball game between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game w ...
, but the filmmakers changed their minds because they wanted a better chance of securing a distribution deal.
It cost less than $3 million to produce the film. The film's producer Ryan Johnson gave the script to actor
Ray Liotta
Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primet ...
business agent. When Liotta read the script, he said that he could relate to it and wanted a part in the film. Liotta joining the film as an actor caused other actors to join the production. It was originally intended to have a straight to DVD release, but the filmmakers changed their mind once Liotta had a role. Bill Mikita began to write the
screenplay in 1999 and he decided to add Clemente's 3,000th hit to the script because he and his brother Steve are major fans of the athlete.
[ ] The film was based on Mikita and his brother's own cross-country trip to the game.
Release
The film had its debut on April 29, 2007 at the AMC Loews 34th Street Theater. It was shown at the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
in 2007 and former Vice President
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...
hosted the
gala
Gala may refer to:
Music
* ''Gala'' (album), a 1990 album by the English alternative rock band Lush
*'' Gala – The Collection'', a 2016 album by Sarah Brightman
*GALA Choruses, an association of LGBT choral groups
*''Gala'', a 1986 album by T ...
on opening night.
The DVD release date was on September 28, 2010.
Reception
Andrew Barker of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote, "A brotherly love tale substantially weightier than its baseball road-trip premise might indicate, ''Chasing 3000'' overcomes some heavy-handed moments and narrative shortcuts with a surprising degree of emotional honesty". Bob Hoover, writing for ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
'' stated, "Its earnestness and innocence carries ''Chasing 3000'' a long way, and its sweet appreciation of the 'Burgh will win over local hearts."
Michael Ordona of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' gave a mixed review, stating, "This sincere, nostalgic, brothers-on-the-road movie has its strong points but sadly fails to do what Clemente so famously did in his final at-bat—finish on a high note".
References
External links
*
*
''Post-Gazette'' story
{{Pittsburgh Pirates
2000s sports films
2007 films
2007 independent films
American baseball films
American children's films
Fictional portrayals of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Films set in 1972
Films set in Pittsburgh
Films shot in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Pirates
2000s English-language films
2000s American films