We Believe

A 2003 documentary titled The Curse of the Bambino offered Boston Red Sox fans a chance to lament their team's many decades of failure. Then the Bosox won the World Series the following year, leaving the Chicago Cubs—now into their second century without a championship—as the saddest sacks in professional baseball. But where gloomy Boston fans wore their suffering like a thorny crown, followers of the Cubbies are afflicted with a strange, renewable optimism—a tribute to the relationship between the fans, the team (and Wrigley Field, its shrine of a ballpark), and their tough, resilient city. Narrated by Gary Sinise, writer-director John Scheinfeld's entertaining film combines archival photos, footage, and notable talking heads (including Lou Piniella, Hugh Hefner, Bob Costas, Dennis Franz, Bud Selig, Ernie Banks, George Will, and others) to provide history and reminiscences about Chicago and the Cubs through the decades, from the days when the Cubs were perennial winners through the many tragedies of the 60-plus years since their last World Series appearance. Sporting gorgeous cinematography, a cool soundtrack, and interviews with fans, players, and pundits that are funny, smart, and soulful, We Believe isn't all poetry and nostalgia. Threaded throughout the documentary is the tale of the 2008 Cubs, a good team with some appealing young players who ran up the best record in the National League—before ending the season with a losing first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)