Undrafted (film)

Mazzello wrote the screenplay based on events in his brother's life. "I watched for 15 years as my brother worked tirelessly to make his dream come true only to see it never happen and it was heartbreaking [...] During that time I saw the love he and his teammates had for each other and for the game; that is the heart of our story."[3][4]

Principal photography took place in Dunsmore Park, La Crescenta-Montrose, California[5] from September 2013 to October 8, 2013.[6]

The first official poster was released on Mazzello's Twitter on February 17, 2015.[9]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 14%, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10.[10] On Metacritic, there are three "unfavorable" reviews out of three, and the average rating is 31/100.[11] Writing in the Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck stated "Undrafted never manages to make us care about its overgrown adolescent characters and whether or not they win the game. It’s a fatal flaw in a sports movie, even if several of the young actors demonstrate real athletic skills.[12] Film critic Brian Orndorf described the movie as "an itchy valentine to the world of intramural baseball".[13] Nivk Schager also panned the film in The Village Voice, writing "there’s no escaping the fact that the dugout-and-diamond shenanigans are consistently tedious."[14] Steve Green wrote in Indiewire, " "Undrafted” tries to make a ragtag baseball team from a bevy of players with quirks dialed up so high they overwhelm every other aspect of the film," and concludes, "this is standard-issue sports fare that still seems intent on grafting unnecessary piles of story on top.[15] Todd Jorgenson's review stated, "The errors outnumber the hits in this heartfelt ensemble drama," stating that the film was sunk by "an off-putting collection of characters who become tiresome, both on and off the field.[16] Critic Frank Swietek wrote, "despite the best efforts of a game cast, the movie definitely comes across as a bush-league effort."[17]

Michael Rechtshaffen gave Undrafted a mixed review in the Los Angeles Times, calling the film "an amiable if aimless ensemble comedy that's unable to overcome its amateur status...the greatest challenge being faced turns out to be not knowing what story to tell."[18]