On October 14, 2003, Cubs fan Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball and, instead, caught the rage and vitriol of every other Cubs fan around the world. "Catching Hell" attempts to unravel the events and outcomes of that infamous night.
The "Steve Bartman incident" is well documented around the internet, so I don't feel the need to rehash it all here.
"Catching Hell" covers much more than just the sequence of events that night, though. Director Alex Gibney discusses multiple aspects of the Bartman incident, including how the media covered it and the way the security team at Wrigley Field tried to defuse the situation. In a bit of meta-documentary, Gibney places the Bartman incident in historical context, comparing it to the Buckner play of 1986, to discuss how and why some people become "scapegoats."
I have to say that "Catching Hell" was a solid documentary, with enough explanation for those who are not familiar with what happened, while also introducing enough new information and reflection to make it interesting to those who remember exactly when it happened (like me).
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