Stream It Or Skip It?

Philadelphia sports fans are notorious for their attitude and antics–a negative reputation many wear as a badge of honor. The Turnaround, a short film by Phillies superfan Jon McCann that’s just been added to Netflix, offers a moment of stark contrast to that image. In it, we see how McCann’s efforts to buoy a struggling star took root and changed the course of a baseball season.

The Gist: In 2023, the Philadelphia Phillies signed All-Star shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract, and expectations were high. Turner struggled mightily through the first four months of the season, and boos often followed his at-bats and errors—that is, until Phillies fan Jon McCann sparked the idea of supporting him with standing ovations each time he came to bat. Turner’s season turned around, and The Turnaround follows the moment through McCann’s eyes.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This is a unique piece of sports filmmaking—I’m not sure I’ve seen anything quite like it, and I review a lot of sports content. It’s heartfelt and inspirational, but not in a tacky way. If it reminds of anything, the swelling emotional crescendo has shades of Moneyball to it. How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Performance Worth Watching: This isn’t a film about Trea Turner so much as it is one about Jon McCann—and that’s a good thing. McCann’s open about his struggles, and quickly endears himself to you as a sports fan second and human first.

PHOTO: Netflix

Memorable Dialogue: “The Liberty Bell is the most famous bell in the world–because it’s cracked,” McCann intones in the opening moments of the film. “But the crack is a repair. The bell would ring, and it didn’t sound right. So, they put that crack in it–an unorthodox way of fixing something broken.”

Sex and Skin: No sex, no skin, but a whole lot of foul language. It is Philly, remember.

Our Take: The Turnaround is an unusual piece of sports filmmaking. I watch a ton of streaming sports documentaries in my capacity as a contributor here at Decider, and I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t gotten a little cynical about them. There’s a lot of puff pieces, a lot of slickly-produced, way-too-long sports content out there that’s often little more than a thinly-veiled infomercial for an athlete or a league.

This is something different.

Under a half-hour long, it doesn’t waste your time, and it’s not trying to tell a big story—it’s trying to tell a small story well. When the Phillies signed Trea Turner to a massive contract before the 2023 season, expectations were similarly massive. He was to be the final piece on a club with championship aspirations—so when he struggled through the first four months of the season, fans were upset. He heard boos, and lots of them. What began as a slow start was looking like a lost season.

Then something unexpected happened. In a city known for its rough-and-tumble sports fan culture, a groundswell of compassion appeared, spurred on by Phillies fan Jon McCann. In YouTube videos, McCann urged his fellow Phillies faithful not to boo Turner, but to give him standing ovations. The idea caught on, and at an early-August game, a packed Citizens Bank Park crowd came to their feet for Turner. He responded with an RBI single—and followed with two of the hottest months of his career, hitting 16 home runs the rest of the way and propelling the Phillies to within a game of the World Series.

The real story here is McCann, who speaks openly of his mental health struggles and suicidal ideations, and how therapy has helped him survive. McCann saw Turner not as many might have, as an overpaid athlete not delivering, but as a fellow human being in need of support in a tough time. It’s not a schlocky Hallmark story, but it is genuinely touching and inspirational, and has a bigger emotional impact than many sports films three times as long.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Turnaround is an odd, unexpected little piece of sports joy, and one of the best ways a jaded sports fan could spend half an hour.

Scott Hines, publisher of the widely-beloved Action Cookbook Newsletter, is an architect, blogger and proficient internet user based in Louisville, Kentucky.

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