A-Rod's steroid saga is brought to life by actual children in 'Screwball' trailer
It feels like the right time for a documentary about the Biogenesis steroid scandal. It’s been more than five years and the game has moved on. Alex Rodriguez has been welcomed back into baseball, having served his suspension, retired, and become an analyst on ESPN.
But how about a documentary about the Biogenesis scandal that has young children reenacting scenes between A-Rod, his PED dealer, and other baseball stars? Is it the right time for that?
The answer is yes, because that documentary is here. It’s called “Screwball” (click here to get an exclusive first look or watch at the top of this story), and it traces the story of A-Rod’s PED use starting from his famous press conference in 2009, when he promised he wouldn’t use them again. That was definitely a lie, which led Rodriguez to get involved with PED hawker (and fake doctor) Anthony Bosch, the founder of Biogenesis. And they’re both played by children in the documentary.
While the documentary tells a story about A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, Ryan Braun, and other baseball stars all seeking to take illegal substances to get an edge in baseball (and then doing whatever they could to keep it a secret), “Screwball” director Billy Corben wanted to add an element that would highlight just how wild the whole Biogenesis story is. He told For The Win back in November that the idea of using kids to reenact scenes with Bosch, Rodriguez, Ramirez, and more came to him during filming.
“While watching the interviews of Tony and Porter I noticed the way they both were very moment-by-moment in the way they tell a story,” Corben said. “They provide the step-by-step dialogue and so I was like, ‘OK, we can Drunk History this.’ And then it struck me how every single adult in this story acted like a child. Every single one of them. I was like here’s our idea. It was a perfect story for it.”
The story is primarily told through the eyes of Bosch and Porter Fisher, one of Bosch’s major clients. But A-Rod — or the kid who plays him, since the actual Alex Rodriguez didn’t participate in the documentary — shows up more than anyone else. Corben said that while “Screwball” is the story of Biogenesis, it’s also the story of A-Rod’s legendary hubris.
“Alex just didn’t know how to admit he was wrong. ... He was incapable of admitting that he made a mistake or that he cheated. It was just like, ‘No, I didn’t do this.’ And I don’t even know if he’s ever said out loud, ‘Yes, I did do this.’ He’s joked about it and I guess he’s apologized in some obscure interviews that he’s done more recently but I don’t think he’s ever admitted that ‘Every single thing I said no to and denied — I did all of that.’ And yet he is this beloved and pop-culture figure now.”
Saying that A-Rod is “beloved” now may be going a bit far, but he certainly comes across as a lot more humble and likable than he did when he was fighting a steroid rap he was obviously guilty of.
The story of the Biogenesis scandal is one that needs to be told. “Screwball,” with its crazy cast of characters, wild anecdotes, and actual children playing the roles of famous and highly recognizable baseball stars, may have found the best way to tell it.
“Screwball” lands in theaters on March 29, and will be released on VOD and digitally on April 5.
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