“Maybe Next Year” – I can wait [MOVIE REVIEW]
“Maybe Next Year” chronicles the ups and downs of Philadelphia Eagles fans.
“Maybe Next Year,’ the well-intentioned documentary directed by Kyle Thrash tracks the 2017-18 season of the Philadelphia Eagles football team through the eyes of some of their devoted but frustrated fans.
Philadelphia, a blue collar town, has had a bitter love affair with their football team, the also-ran Eagles. Following several die-hard fans throughout the season we experience their love, frustration, and anger as they doggedly wait for that elusive march to final victory. They’ve come close in the past but this is the year that looks the most promising until their star quarterback is injured.
The camera sets its sights on Shirley, the die hard fan who teaches a course to the women at her church on understanding the game. She is sure this will bring them closer to their football-obsessed husbands. Then there is Barry who used his retirement money to build a quasi-sports bar annex to his house instead of moving to Florida as his wife would have liked. Bryant has anger management issues that he unloads on his YouTube channel. His language is so foul and inappropriate that he eliminates any possibility of family viewing.
Films following a year or season in the life of a sports team seem to be a trope right now. From high school football to cheerleading competitions to Michael Jordan’s final season with the Bulls, everyone seems to be getting in on the action. Whether they should is another question. The answer for “Maybe Next Year” is negative.
Certainly if you are a Philadelphia resident and live and die the Eagles, there might be something in this poorly produced documentary. Giving airtime to a man whose entire vocabulary consists of four letter words and their conjoined variations doesn’t seem to be any kind of added value.
Much of the filming is blurry and was done unprofessionally. The director and producers seem to be unaware that poor quality in the moment does not qualify as cinema verité.
On VOD starting Tuesday, November 10.