It is wonderful when a film that may not be the most publicized or promoted proves to be so stellar. Such is the case with this film. The topics of superstition, faith, and hope are not addressed adequately in movies, and by integrating the famous failure of the Boston Red Sox in 1986, this movie is a natural candidate to examine faith and hope. The movie is the story of Nicky Rogan (Michael Keaton in a wonderful quirky performance) whose life is typically complicated. He has a mistress (Bebe Neuwirth in fine form) and his wife (Catherine O'Hara, typically proficient) is dissatisfied with her husband's disinterest in their marriage and he is scared of the poison pen of a scabrous new critic (Robert Downey Jr. typically accomplished as Stephen Schwimmer) who has so haunted a playwright friend that the man (Griffin Dunne, exceptional as Elliott Litvak) has become something of a hermit who looks, for all intents and purposes, like a hobo. Excellent performances really distinguish this film. Keaton is fantastic and chooses his roles (or maybe they're chosen the infrequency of opportunities he has?) so carefully that he is not seen enough. However, his tics and very expressive face add depth and layers to the movie. Dunne is fantastic in portraying an unnerved playwright, and Robert Downey Jr. is typically creative and inspired. Director Michael Hoffmann elicits fine performances from his performers. He has directed quite competently and somewhat below the radar, directing movies as varied as "Restoration", "Soapdish", and "One Fine Day." He captures Rogan's personal doubts and captures some intangible feelings and ideas very well. Great credit should also go to writer Dom DeLillo who has written a screenplay which considers some very interesting topics.It is difficult to capture the doubts and insecurities of a playwright in many aspects of his life-personally, professionally, and in the rather murky world of superstitions that often accompany support of sports teams but the combined talents of many have united to make this a very good film.

Based on a true story, a dark and heavily emotional drama about a playwrite Nicky in 1986 NY who loves the Red Sox so much, he skips the opening night of his play to see game 6 of the 1986 world series between the Mets and the Sox. Nicky has a series of conversations with a myriad of people he knows and meets in the days leading up to game 6. They all help Nicky deal with life's stresses consisting of a particularly nasty Broadway critic who has nothing good to say about anyone and kills the careers of anyone unfortunate enough to fall under his poison pen. His impending divorce over his long affair. A major actor that is forgetting his lines due to a parasitic illness. The beginning of his estrangement of his daughter over the divorce and his neglect of their relationship. The excellent acting envelopes you as the slow and deliberate plot plays out. If quality of acting is important to you, you should see this movie.

(There are Spoilers) with everything seemingly coming down on his head Broadway playwright Nicky Regan, Michael Keaton,has found out that he has an added crisis to his already hectic and troubled life. New York Times play reviewer and critic Steven Schwimmer, Robert Downey Jr. Schwimmer's word can make or beak a Broadway play and he's the person that's going to review his that evening!Nicky is also saddled with a failing marriage with his now separated wife Lillian, Catherine O'Hara,due to his affair with,Lillians, gynecologist Joanna Brorne, Bebe Neuwirth. All that is driving his teenage daughter Laurel, Ari Graynor, to become so upset that she's seriously thinking of getting professional help.It just turns out that opening night for Nicky's play at the Music Box coincides with the sixth game of the 1986 World Series, October 25, with Nicky's beloved Boston Red Sox leading three games to two. With the sixth game possibly being the series clincher for Boston. If they win it would be the first World Series title for the luckless Bosox since 1918.Witty and at the same time heart wrenching movie about a person who completely lost his grip on reality and in the end has a mind-snapping experience that almost causes him to commit murder. Even though those in the theater district would gladly give him a ticker tape parade, and the key to the city, if he succeeded.The movie "Game 6" slowly works it way toward the showdown at Shea Stadium between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox that's a do or die game for the Mets. At first just a sidelight with Nicky jumping from cab to cab trying to get everything ready for his big opening night act, or play, he becomes obsessed with the ballgame. It's as if the outcome of the game would make him forget his personal troubles. Which among other headache his leading man in the play Peter Redmond,Harris Yulin, is suffering from memory loss due to a parasite embedded in his brain! That Redmond he picked up in far-off Borneo during location filming of a movie he stared in.Egged on to murder Schwimmer by fellow playwright Elliot Litvak, Griffin Dunne, who's professional and personal life he destroyed, Nicky tries to keep himself from going off the deep end and do in the nasty and abusive Broadway critic. Taking a cab to a sports bar Nicky plans to watch the Met/Red Sox World Series game. The dramatic conclusion of the 6th game just left Nicky in such a state of shock that for a while his brain didn't respond to what his eyes were seeing thinking that it was his Red Sox who won, and won the 1986 World Series not the New York Mets! The New York Mets now on a roll overcame a three run deficit in the next evening in the seventh and final game of the World Series and ended up beating the now stunned and shell-shocked Bosox 8 to 5.With nothing left to live for Nicky gets a gun and goes gunning for Schwimmer at his secret and unknown hideout by the New York docks. When he finally finds him, together with his daughter Laurel, Nicky realizes that him and Schwimmer have a lot more in common with each other then with almost any one else; their fanatical Boston Red Sox fans and both grew up in Boston just blocks away from each other and the Red Sox home court Fenwway Park! Whats more to Nicky's complete surprise Schwimmer did like his play very much and is to give it in his newspaper column one of his rare, as a Boston Red Sox World Series Championship, good reviews.Strange to say the least "Game 6" has so many interesting characters in it, including the dozen or so off-the-wall and zany taxi drivers, that you never get tired watching it. Even when it's over with Nicky now happily back driving a cab, like he did before he became a big time playwright, you just want it to keep going on and feel a bit cheated when the closing credits start rolling down, or is it up, the screen.

I was lucky enough to see this movie last week in Portland Oregon. I say lucky because this movie has a very limited release. I had heard about this movie for a few years and was anxious to see it. I had quite a few reasons I wanted to see it. I am a big fan of Michael Keaton, I have loved baseball all my life and when I say love I mean love. I love the movies of Michael Hoffman too. But I will be totally honest and say the biggest reason I went to this movie was to see Robert Downey Junior. He is my favorite actor without a doubt and I think he is totally brilliant. This movie did not let me down at all. I will not write about the plot because you can read that anywhere. I will say this however that this movie is a little gem. The dialog is perfect. The acting is perfect and I left the theater very happy that I had been able to see it. It reminded me of another movie I fell in love with years ago... "A Thousand Clowns". Both movies are set in New York and have brilliant lines and awesome acting. I could almost see Game 6 as a stage play but I do wonder how they would handle the crucial cab scenes. I hope that little movies like this will continue to be made. Movies that have a story and leave you with plenty to talk about. I will buy this when it comes out as a DVD. I hope that Michael Hoffman continues to make movies that have a heart and soul and mean something. Anyway.. thanks to the cast and Mr.Hoffman! I loved it!