Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story

This documentary is about Chien-Ming Wang, the former ace of the NY Yankees. No this is not about his most glorious years when he won 19 games in each of the two consecutive years. This is about his struggle after an injury.

For any sports fans, the story line is way too familiar. What made this movie special is that it not only told a story where a baseball player tries to make his dream come true again, it also told a story where a foreigner (Chien-Ming Want is born and raised in Taiwan) who wanted to have a career in the US had to overcome all the different challenges. This is a touching story because not only the sports fans, everybody who moved to the US to pursue their dreams or careers would relate to.

Chien-Ming Wang is an introvert. He has this quiet demeanor. He was criticized for not being aggressive enough. Not outspoken enough. Not bold enough. And yet his decision to stay in baseball after a potential career-ending injury was bold and aggressive and against-all-odds. When he pitched he was so focused and intense. The director did a great job catching both the quiet guy and the laser focused pitcher. The whole film feels real. It is inspiring.

75% of this film is in English and 25% Mandarin. I understand both languages and thoroughly enjoyed every dialogue and the story as it unfolds. It was emotional and inspirational. Wang's struggle in his career as told by the director is something even a non-sports fan can relate to and it lifts you up and inspires you to do more to achieve your own dream. I saw someone complaint that he could not understand what CM Wang was saying in the film. Before you play this film, kindly, turn English CC on. I attach the instruction on how to do so from Netflix's website here:

Select a TV show or movie. Select Audio & Subtitles. Select your preferred audio or subtitle options. Select Play.

It's not so hard. Now sit back and enjoy this beautifully shot and edited documentary, elevated by great visuals and scores. It was nominated for best documentary of the year by the Gold Horse Awards which is equivalent to the The Oscars in the Chinese speaking world.

I enjoyed this documentary, it gave the audience a real look into the rise and fall of sports celebrities and the weight that they bear. This is especially special because Chen is not only a popular pitcher in the U.S, he bore the weight of his home country, Taiwan, as the "Pride of Taiwan." Not only is this an inspiration to aspiring Taiwanese players, but for any aspiring sports players who, with enough grit and determination, can make it back into the major leagues.

I cried, for all those sweet memories for CMW's fantastic Yankee journey, it was whole TWness people's stories, it was also each of their own story, we miss the old times when we were young, so I cried. But also cried for watching his the one and the only purpose- to pitch again. Who wouldn't struggle and be pain and fear to lose everything? he fight for that with his unique character, also gave audience lots of courages.

What a heartwarming and heartbreaking story about such a great pitcher who had injuries take away his career but thankfully never stole his dreams! Guy Proved many people wrong and came away with a great ending in a way...