This Old Cub (2004)

74% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(902 ratings)

On a baseball team not often cited for its great players, Ron Santo was a hero and a legend. As a third baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Santo played 14 seasons (1960 through 1974), made the All-Star team nine times, earned five Gold Gloves, and in 1965 became the team's youngest ever captain. While… More On a baseball team not often cited for its great players, Ron Santo was a hero and a legend. As a third baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Santo played 14 seasons (1960 through 1974), made the All-Star team nine times, earned five Gold Gloves, and in 1965 became the team's youngest ever captain. While Santo was establishing himself as one of the Cub's greatest players, he was also hiding a secret -- in 1958, the same year Ron signed with the Cubs organization, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but refused to tell his fellow players or the team's physicians for fear of being bumped from the team. In 1971, as the Cubs celebrated Ron Santo Day at Wrigley Field, the baseball great finally went public with his condition, becoming a leading Midwest spokesman and fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In 1990, Santo renewed his association with the Chicago Cubs as a commentator for the team's home games on radio station WGN, and in 2003, he became one of only three Cubs players to have their number officially retired. This Old Cub is a documentary about Ron Santo's remarkable life and career, not only examining his years as a player and broadcaster, but his longtime struggle with the disease that has cost him a leg but has failed to break his spirit, and the crusade by fans and admirers to see Santo inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Noted Cubs enthusiasts Bill Murray, Dennis Franz, and Gary Sinese, and baseball legends Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Willie Mays, and Tommy Lasorda are interviewed onscreen; actor Joe Mantegna narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Jeff Santo
Genres: Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Sports & Fitness, Special Interest

In Theaters: Mar 26, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Aug 2, 2005
Studio: Emerging Pictures

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Jeff [Santo] said he purposely avoided taking a son's perspective, which leaves him without much perspective at all.
Mark Wolf, Denver Rocky Mountain News
You don't have to be a fan of Ron Santo, the Cubs or even baseball to appreciate this warm and winning tribute to Jeff Santo's dad.
Michael Booth, Denver Post
The problem with the movie for anyone but Cub crazies is that son Jeff gives us no perspective.
John McMurtrie, San Francisco Chronicle
A heartfelt tribute to both the player and the man.
Dennis Harvey, Variety
Competent but innocuous feature begins to overstay welcome at the 60-minute mark.
Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
Though at times sentimental, the documentary is a terrific character sketch, capturing both the rough edges and the compassion of its subject.
Rory L. Aronsky, Film Threat
This Old Cub is admirable for its profile of a man who's still pushing on, even after all the adversity he faced.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...the exclusion of Santo from the HOF is the single biggest injustice ever perpetuated by the voters
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
A must-have for Cubs fans who fondly remember Ron Santo.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ron's story goes beyond the world of sports.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
Ron Santo personifies Hemingway's claim that 'Man can be defeated but not destroyed'
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
This film showcases all the things that make Number 10, Wrigley Field, and the Cubs great
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
From the "labor of love" file...This Old Cub focuses on what Santo means to the Cubs organization and the bleacher bums, and what the team and the fans mean to Santo.
Brent Simon, Entertainment Today
Genial but wandering and woefully edited... one simply wishes This Old Cub asked a few more actual questions of its old diehard Cub subject.
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert, L.A. Weekly
Shot on video with little regard for the aesthetics of framing -- and edited with as about as much feel for dynamics and pacing -- This Old Cub describes, superficially at best, the life and career of Santo.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
It's hard to imagine a public figure letting anybody but a family member capture these private moments on film.
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
I barely knew who Ron Santo was before I saw this. Now, he's one of my new heroes.