Monday, April 3, 2017

No No: A Dockumentary

After dropping acid on a California road trip in June 1970 and forgetting he had to pitch the next day, Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Dock Ellis threw a no hitter against the San Diego Padres while under the influence of LSD. While this sports story that has achieved mythic proportions, what is even more interesting is Ellis' ubringing, his wild and erratic personality, the horrifying lows his post baseball career would take due to drug and alcohol addiction, and the redemption he would seek before his death in 2008. No No is an unexpectedly powerful story, made with great footage and guests, that at first treats its subject like a lark and absolutely blindsides you with its trajectory. My only complaint is that the documentary could have been more structured with its dating.
*** 1/2 out of ****