Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories

The forty year wait since Clemente's death was more than worth it for this gem of a film. "Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories" is a labor of love from Writer/Director, Richard Rossi who like so many of us who love this film grew up watching Clemente play. The film plays out in 21 chapters, 21 being not only the uniform number Roberto wore but the number of letters in his three names: Roberto Walker Clemente. Understanding that chronology is important to following the film.

I loved every aspect of this masterful movie and I learned things I never knew about Clemente. The love Vera and Roberto shared was endless, like Romeo and Juliet, a great love that ends in tragedy. Olympian Jamie Nieto deftly portrays in an acting tour de force the adversities Roberto had playing the game not only from injuries sustained from a car accident but from racist reporters. The Pittsburgh Press were out to mock him and call him a "Puerto Rican hot dog." Fortunately, it made him more determined to prove he was the greatest right fielder of all time.

I cried watching this film, reliving the feelings I had when I found out as a fifth grader the plane went down. "Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories" is a film every Clemente fan needs to see, bringing the glory days of the Pirates back to life by the amazing performance from Nieto as Roberto. Nieto brought the same passion to the role that brought him to two Olympic games. The rest of the supporting cast did a stellar job.

The feeling Rossi conveyed to me was a nostalgia like I was in the living room again in 1971 re- experiencing it in front of our old TV screen. This film was made on a small budget and doesn't look like a studio film, and it is not a precise retelling of every historical aspect.

This is a film for lovers like Roberto, and this film made history as the first feature dramatic film on Clemente's life. It's important for the viewer to have the cerebration to grasp the genre and the style of the film, and the way that it was made and the reasons why it was shot the way it was and why it is not, thank God, an exact detail of everything that happened exactly in Clemente's life from start to finish. The film is far more moving and entertaining because of the choices Rossi and the cast and crew made.

I do not need hundreds of words to describe this film. I loved this film so much I asked for a screening to be held in my hometown. People came out of the theater hugging me. They also came out in an array of tears and laughter while saying thank you.

People showed up wearing Clemente uniforms and Pirates hats. It was one of the most inspiring scenes I have ever seen.

There are not many movies that move people to want to change for the better. I have news for the world, this film is one of them that makes you want to do good things.

This movie is a must see.

If you love Roberto Clemente, and you want to see his story told in a creative way with passion and power, this is the film for you. The director, Academy Award-considered filmmaker Richard Rossi, grew up in Pittsburgh hanging out with the Pirates in their locker room. He has a deep love for Clemente that comes through every scene of this fantastic film. Olympian Jamie Nieto captures Clemente. He nails his accent and his physical bearing, including Clemente's rolling of the neck and back movements as a result of his injuries. He expresses the compassion and grace of Clemente. Excellent casting! Marilinda Rivera, (a Puerto Rican model so photogenic she won the Bravo competition TV show "Project Runway"), is beautiful on screen as his wife Vera Clemente and has strong sexual & spiritual chemistry with Nieto. The film masterfully blends real news footage (of the Great Clemente, Pittsburgh, & Puerto Rico), with the dramatized scenes by the talented cast. If you're not an intelligent person and want a big budget mindless movie with explosions and boobs and car chases, this is not the film for you. If you want a movie that is a huge epic extravaganza that spent millions showing every detail of Clemente from birth to death with no artistry, this isn't the film for you. If you want a movie that makes you feel the feelings of love that Rossi and others have for Clemente, that captures Roberto's love for his family, his fans, and his heart for the world, you'll love this film. If you only watch mainstream movies with lots of special effects at the local cinema multiplex, you may not have the heart and soul for this film. If you like independent cinema from maverick directors, you'll love this movie. Anyone can make a movie with millions of dollars, but it takes more creative ingenuity to make a movie on a shoestring and come up with a film this gripping. I liked 42, but I love 21 Clemente Stories more. Yes, 42 had more money and name actors. But it focused primarily on the racial issue. "Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories" is a film that tells Clemente's story on so many levels; overcoming racist reporters, falling in love with Vera, making a spiritual journey beyond baseball to become a great humanitarian. Clemente was an artist, he played with grace. So it's fitting the first film on his life is a work of art, made by volunteers as a ministry of grace.

I first saw the movie at the premier showing in Pittsburgh. I especially enjoyed the live performance of the Clemente Theme Song by director and awesome guitarist, Richard Rossi (song now on YouTube at http://youtu.be/vgfSM8-C7xA ). Die-hard baseball fans will enjoy this film. I was an avid baseball card collector and faithful Pirate fan back in the 60's yet I didn't know most of the historical facts that were presented in this film. It's no wonder the audience at the Strand Theater erupted spontaneously in applause when the movie was over. They did a great job considering the fact that this was a low budget film. This DVD is a must-have collectors item for those of us who loved Clemente.

Richard Rossi hits it of the park with his long-awaited passion project to bring his childhood hero to life. Richard grew up in Pittsburgh, playing hooky from school to sneak into the Pirates locker room and bask in the glory of his idol Roberto Clemente. He sat in the right field General Admission seats watching the Great One make magic. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported that Rossi wrote about Clemente for so many writing assignments at Saint Athanasius School in the West View section of Pittsburgh that the nuns there chastised him for his Clemente obsession. Now, forty years later, we are the beneficiaries of his Clemente stories. Rossi also appears in a supporting role as "Birddog," the scout who recruited Clemente for the Pirates. Olympian athlete and actor Jamie Nieto is stellar in bringing Clemente's physical mannerisms, accent, and overall grace to the big screen. Project Runway winner Marilinda Rivera is absolutely beautiful and believable as the love of his life, his wife Vera Clemente. Isaac Bar-jonah as Sangy and Charles Hoyes as Murtaugh bring strong support. I was in the audience at one of the initial theatrical screenings. The lines were around the block. I hadn't seen that for a film since "Star Wars." And it was the first time I've been in a theater in which the audience erupted in a standing ovation. Every baseball fan needs to see this movie. And even for those who don't follow baseball, the love story and the message of sacrificial love is presented in such a substantive way that people of all faiths and backgrounds will find it one of the richest presentations of the deeper spiritual and universal truths we share as humans. I bought 50 copies on Amazon to share with others and everyone who has watched it was touched as deeply as I was. This film isn't just a movie...it's a movement!