An in-depth exclusive interview with director TY ROBERTS discussing the emotionally resonant and inspirational YOU GOTTA BELIEVE, based on the remarkable true story of the 2002 Little League World Series contenders, the Westside All-Stars. A word to all of you who will be watching this film: bring tissues, lots and lots of tissues. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE tugs at the heartstrings while filling you with bittersweet ebullience.
SYNOPSIS: YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is based on the inspiring true story of one team’s transformational journey from district underdog to taking its place in the Little League record books. After dedicating the season to a teammate’s ailing father, a group of underestimated youth baseball players from Fort Worth, Texas, takes its Cinderella run all the way to the 2002 Little League World Series—culminating in a record-breaking showdown that became an instant ESPN classic.
Directed by TY ROBERTS with script by Lane Garrison, YOU GOTTA BELIEVE stars Luke Wilson, Greg Kinnear, Sarah Gadon, Lew Temple, not to mention newcomers Michael Cash, Nicholas Fry, Etienne Kellici, Christopher Seivright, and more new discoveries as the Westside All-Stars.
As writer/director TY ROBERTS himself has said, “It’s hard to beat a good baseball movie, especially when it centers around inspirational youth athletes.” And with YOU GOTTA BELIEVE, you’ve got one of the most inspirational true stories in sports history. Longtime baseball fans, and especially those of Little League, may already know the story of the Westside All-Stars, and if you’re rounding second or third base or heading for home yourself, you probably saw or remember the 2002 Little League World Series. Fighting their way through some 23 or so games during the season and post-season, the All-Stars made it to Williamsport, Pennsylvania where they ended up playing – for 11 innings – the longest game in Little League World Series history! And while that final championship game itself is the stuff that fills the record books, what makes the All-Stars story even more important and moving is that Bobby Ratliff, father of All-Star first baseman Robert, had been diagnosed with terminal melanoma but spent the summer watching and supporting the team, even when it sometimes meant delaying his treatments. It was Bobby Ratliff who inspired the team to greatness with grit, heart, and determination. His friend, attorney Joe Kelly, coached the team.
For anyone familiar with TY ROBERTS and his films, you know his love for Texas and Texas stories is as huge as the Lone Star state itself, starting with the beautiful and powerful period piece The Iron Orchard, followed by the underdog story about 12 Mighty Orphans and a football championship, also based on true events and individuals. And now, he turns to Little League baseball. But it’s not just Ty’s love of Texas stories and stories filled with heart, the same is true of his producing/filmmaking partner in crime, screenwriter Lane Garrison who Ty describes as being “like a dog on a bone” when it came to telling this story. “He went and followed up with everybody, and went and did his research, and spent six or eight months working on it, and sent us a draft…It was definitely one of those ones that we felt blessed to get our hands on.”
But after getting a working script came the hard part, starting with the cast. Reteaming with Luke Wilson who starred in 12 Mighty Orphans, Wilson easily stepped in as Bobby Ratliff while Greg Kinnear, who worked with Luke Wilson in Kinnear’s directorial debut Phil, came onboard as Coach Jon Kelly. Joining them were veterans Lew Temple and Sarah Gadon. But the hard part was casting not only the Westside All-Stars, but all of the other Little League players on various teams. Ty lucked out with his casting search in Canada where he shot the film thanks to much-needed tax credits, but quickly realized the kids would need work on their accents (especially those Texas accents), on their acting as most had never acted before, but perhaps most importantly, they had to learn how to play baseball.
As Ty and I dug into the “making of” YOU GOTTA BELIEVE, we discussed not only the story and the casting but:
- developing a sports-themed film
- finding a balance between the sports, the games, and the emotional impact of the two intersection storylines – Bobby Ratliff’s cancer battle and the All-Stars battle for the Little League World Series
- casting; the importance of casting by talent
- efforts to eliminate Canadian accents and the involvement of a dialog coach to help the kids with their accents
- baseball boot camp
- the extensive training camp for the kids, led by experienced baseball professionals like Lew Temple and Ryan Roberts
- filming rehearsals and training sessions to help the kids feel more cohesive and prepared
- working with Canadian cinematographer Stuart James Cameron and for his hands-on approach and willingness to experiment
- lighting design
- thoughtful deliberate choices to create a visual grammar, noting how the cinematography and editing created a distinct contrast between the intimate family scenes and the more energetic, wide-framed baseball sequences
- working with editor James Crouch again
- multiple montages; creating montages, starting with the script and working with the editor, James Crouch, to ensure they fit the story
- creative use of music and visual effects in the montages, which add to the film’s energy and emotional depth
- the gratifying experience of working with kids, including his son, who played John “Peanut” Ratliff
- the talent and dedication of the young actors, including Michael Cash, Nicholas Fry, Etienne Kellici, Christopher Seivright
- Ty’s growth as a filmmaker and storyteller
- and more!
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 08/13/2024
YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is in theatres nationwide August 30, 2024.
