No No: A Dockumentary

Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, Ellis played in Major League Baseball from 1968 through 1979. He was a walking tinderbox with bad-boy charisma, who rejected authority, liked to dress extravagantly, fought racism and provoked others at all times. He also enjoyed alcohol and drugs. The game he pitched allegedly high on LSD remains a subject of discussion, jokes and memes. The time came, however, when this “Muhammad Ali of baseball” hit a wall, had to admit he had a problem and begin fighting his demons. No No: A Dockumentary is the story of his road to fame, gradual downfall and attempted redemption. The modern, patchwork film structure mixes talking heads with archive footage, animated newspaper outtakes and film strips to set a broad context for Ellis’ biography, evoking the spirit of his era and the energy that drove him.