No No: A Dockumentary Film Review (Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival)

Key to that 71′ title was a powder keg of a pitcher whose talent on the mound was only rivaled by the inner demons he was helpless to contain.  Dock Ellis burst into the major leagues in 1968 with a swagger and aura the likes of which have not been seen before.  And of all the things Ellis will be remembered for, and there are many highs and lows, pitching a no-hitter (a No No) on June 12, 1970 in a 2 -0 win against the San Diego Padres under the influence of LSD became (in)famous in baseball lore. The heady substance fueled life of Ellis both on and off the field and his outspoken leadership made him a pariah to the establishment while being a racial and cultural trailblazer to the black diaspora.  Director, Jeffrey J. Radice meticulously chronicled the life and high times of a legend in NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY.

Dock Phillip Ellis Jr’s baseball prowess showed early and often and people took notice. Shortly after marrying the homecoming queen Paula Hartsfield Johnson he suffered the passing of his father.  With plenty of soul searching coupled with his unbridled talent the 20 year old began his ascent on the world of baseball by joining the minor league Batavia Pirates in 64′ followed by the Kingston Eagles in 65′. The self-medicating had already started and would be a constant thread throughout his career. Once he made the majors in 68′ with the Pittsburgh Pirates the pressures to stay up over a 162 game season could only mean one thing, a new vice.  And the vice of choice was an amphetamine called Dexamyl, better known in the big leagues as Greenies. How rampant was it? Upwards of 95% of all players were on it and at his peak Ellis was taking upwards of 17 pills a game. So when we parallel the recent Major League Baseball drug scandals to this era, has anything really changed?

Radice’s love of baseball combined with his insight into the human condition, archival footage, family stills and memorable interviews from insiders and colleagues alike only drove home the narrative of a man who was most comfortable throwing outside the lines of conformity. Add to that an original 70’s inspired groove shaking score brought to you by none other than Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys and the Superfly Bad Boy image Dock worked so hard to cultivate takes on an added resonance. Ellis constantly chaffed against authority with impunity for baseball wasn’t immune to the racism that was infecting American society in the 60s. Southern road games in Klu Klux Klan territory caused the greatest consternation for black players. But the Pirates organization became a safe haven within a world of insecurity and the mountain of clubhouse shenanigans and post-game video footage of a jovial crew only reinforced that fact. With a franchise player like Roberto Clemente as his first roommate, Ellis became even more empowered to address issues confronting black people with baseball as his platform.

And it was this platform that allowed him to leverage the media to further the message. The 1971 All Star game was a perfect example. His declaration to the baseball press core that there was no way in hell they would start two black pitchers was the hook. The media played up this angle in the press and Ellis’s reverse psychology worked.  Once again history was made. But with each incremental success on the field  Dock’s substance abuse issues off the field grew ten-fold. This unorthodox coping mechanism was his way of managing the fear of failure.  Most marriages could not persist through this level of self-destruction and Ellis’s two marriages were no exception. Paula and Austine Ellis offer up some of the most poignant tales of what happened when the door closed.

VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5 Those looking for a quaint little expose on the pleasantries of America’s favorite pastime need to look elsewhere because No No: A Dockumentary is an indelible character study that tackles so much more than just baseball. Sure the art of intimidation and the psychology between pitcher and hitter is synonymous in most baseball biography but Radice pushes further. The redemptive nature of this narrative comes full circle as Ellis the student now becomes the teacher educating many on the perils of substance abuse after completing an in depth drug treatment program. What Dock had learned after fifteen years of Coke, Heroine, Mescaline, Crank and Alcohol he poured with gusto back into his second career as the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor for the New York Yankees; one of the first professional sports drug treatment programs of its kind. The true strength of the Dock Ellis story resides not in self destruction but the conversational anecdotes that back fill this already illuminating narrative.

FINAL THOUGHT:  The Muhammad Ali of baseball – No No: A Dockumentary Film Review

Genre: Documentary, Biography
Year:  2014
Language:  English
Country: USA
Director:  Jeffrey J. Radice
Producer(s): Mike Blizzard, Chris Cortez, Jeffrey J. Radice
Co-Producers: Jeffrey Brown, Scott Calonico, Sam Wainwright Douglas
Original Music: Adam Horowitz (BB)
Director of Photography: John Fiege
Animators: Scott Calonico, Jake Mendez, Jen Piper
Illustrators: Kevin-John Jobczynski
Runtime: 100 minutes
Premiere:  Canadian Premiere (Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival)
Website: http://www.nonoadockumentary.com/

Cast: Ron Howard, Steve Blass, Bruce Kison, Dave Cash, Les Banos, Bob Robertson, Al Oliver, Enos Cabell, Tom Reich, Bob Watson, Dan Epstein, Brad Corbett Jr., Ron Carter, Paula Hartsfield Johnson, Marsha Hoffman, Al Rambo,  Floyd Hoffman, Ray Jones, Jim Grant, Carol Watson, Gene Clines, Vera Clemente, Scipio Spinks, Jim Sundberg, Tony Bartirome, Larry Demery, Bob Smizik, Vida Blue, Manny Sanguillen, Roberto Clemente Jr., Donald Hall, Austine Ellis, Sam Reich, Jim Reeves, Sandra Ellis Toney, Bill Degnan, Victor Beecham, Margaret Stargell, John Shandy