The Tribeca Festival is underway in New York City, bringing an incredibly wide variety of projects to the big screen. One of those new projects is a different kind of sports documentary called The Saint of Second Chances, which tells a little-known but wildly entertaining story of a son of a baseball legend.
Mike Veeck grew up in the shadow of his hustler father, Hall of Fame baseball owner Bill Veeck. The Veeck name became both legendary and notorious in professional baseball as they introduced the fun at ballparks — giveaways, theme nights, fireworks, and more. But it all came to a screeching halt when Mike blew up his father's career. Exiled from the game he loved, the younger Veeck spent the next few decades clawing his way up from rock bottom, determined to redeem himself. After receiving distressing news, what started as a journey to reclaim the family legacy, became an opportunity to appreciate that family more fully.
First and foremost this new documentary is wildly fun and hilariously funny. There are multiple laugh out loud moments throughout the crazy stories Mike Veeck has to tell. His stories also just generally follow the philosophy that his father brought to baseball: it should be fun. Audiences will be glued to the screen from start to finish as they watch the ridiculous promotions Veeck put on over the years.
And that is perhaps what is so great about this documentary as opposed to so many other sports docs. There are a lot of great inspirational sports stories out there about underdogs who over come odds and dynasties who achieve greatness that was previously unheard of. This is certainly not that. It’s almost more of just a family story that is kind of sports-adjacent. Baseball serves as the backdrop for this wildly entertaining story.
It also helps that this story is told from two very entertaining and well-known actors: Jeff Daniels and Charlie Day. The former narrates the documentary while the latter portrays the younger version of the story’s main character. Both deliver fantastic performances and only add to the overall enjoyment of the ridiculous stories.
There is a point at which this doc takes a turn however and it demands a complete 180 from the smiles the audience will have to that point. A particular tear-jerking moment delivers emotional whiplash in the best way possible and shows the depth of this story. It’s not all Slip-N-Slides in the outfield after all. Every now and then you have to come back down to Earth and explore the stories of loss and pain as well.
Overall, The Saint of Second Chances will be one of the most fun things you can watch on Netflix. It’s far from your typical sports documentaries, but it’s a wildly entertaining story that is absolutely worth telling. Daniels and Day will put a lot of smiles on faces and yet, this doc still manages to turn a corner and deliver surprisingly emotional moments. There is no question this new doc is worth a watch, whether your a big baseball fan or not
Be sure to check out more of our coverage from this year’s Tribeca Festival.