Watch The Lost Son of Havana For Free

Truly Dreadful Film

Pretty Good

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I grew up a Yankee fan and was glad when Luis joined the team in 1979. I always mimicked Tiant's windup when we played whiffleball.While this was moving in some parts, one thing was unintentionally amusing: When he returned to his dilapidated neighborhood, he said that "everything has changed." I found that fascinating since people were still driving around in 1950's American cars. For all the Hollywood "stars" who gush about how wonderful socialism is--this film shows just how much socialism/communism sucks. The neighborhood hadn't changed because there is no progress in socialist societies as compared to capitalist societies. I'm sure that the high members of the communist party were living large while the proletariat were living in poverty. As Rush Limbaugh said the other day, "Capitalists get power by becoming wealthy; socialists use power to get wealthy." Totally spot on.

I have also been away from the land of my birth for 46 years.I am about to see Cuba for the first time in just a few weeks.Looking for anything to help me prepare for my trip I stumbled upon this amazing film, it made me cry and grin from ear to ear.I was brought to the states when I was just a baby in 1967. His journey was no doubt extremely emotional as will be mine, this film spoke to me deeply and on a very personal level.It's is full of honest content and at times it was hard for me to watch because it just hit close to home.As a baseball fan , I encourage all ball fans to watch, but as a human being I recommend this film even more so.

This documentary about Luis Tiant is about one great athlete who succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and hopes. It is also about his father, who may have been one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time, but lived in an age where players of colour were banned from the major leagues.It is about a quiet but unbelievably determined individual who was one of the greatest pitchers and most popular athletes in America, or at least in Boston. He was unique in so many ways and still is.The film-makers follow Tiant as he returns home to Havana after 46 years, making contacts with family and friends. Tiant is not one to talk a lot. He isn't particularly insightful and tends to repeat certain observations. He loves to play with a cigar in his mouth as he spends time with close relatives and friends in Havanna. He rarely brings up his career in baseball, allowing others to relish in his accomplishments.But, through it all, his emotions and feelings come through loud and clear. His love for his aunts, father and mother, cousins. His sadness at the state of affairs of Cuban life.Note - next paragraph may be considered a spoiler ! There is one remarkable episode where he is taken to a park where people gather just to discuss baseball, Cuba's national obsession. One of Tiant's guides goes into the crowd and interrupts some heated discussion or other and gets their attention with the question: "Who do you think was the greatest Cuban pitcher ever"? Most of these Cubans are young kids, born well after Tiant's final playing days.As the film proceeds, more is told about his unbelievable accomplishments and how his journeys were not quite so easy or straightforward. As great as his record was, he found himself discarded by baseball teams on various occasions only to come back with even greater abilities and determination.For those who love sport, Tiant was a player to behold. No one pitched like him with his whirling style and head up motion. His will not to give up comes up time and again. And while we are only given snippet details of his personal life, it seems that his stubbornness followed him into other areas and pursuits.The film is focused on Tiant the great pitcher and contrasts him with all his buddy childhood friends who were trapped in Cuba. He was lucky in certain ways - certainly in comparison to his talented father. His journey back home obviously has great meaning for him. What that is for him exactly is hard to discern. But, it may have something to say for those looking for some inspiration in these supposedly tough times.

I was born in the Boston area in 1968. When I was a young kid, Luis Tiant was the single most popular player on the Red Sox. It wasn't Yaz or Fisk, or Lynn or Rice. It was El Tiante.This documentary does an incredible job of relating Tiant's life history, and the history of his father, Luis (Lefty) Tiant, Sr., who pitched in the Negro League. There are so many aspects of this story that I didn't know, and they make for a compelling story. The film deals with the Cuban embargo, his parents he'd left behind, and his amazing MLB career, which peaked with his two victories over the Big Red Machine in the 1975 World Series. I still remember the Boston Globe Sports page featuring a cartoon of Luis unplugging the machine! Every baseball fan should see this film. It will be particularly meaningful to Red Sox fans of my age, but all baseball fans (which includes of course all Cubans) should give this a watch. I hope ESPN rebroadcasts it. It's really quite special.