Nearly two decades after scoring an audience award at Sundance for “Two Family House,” a smartly understated yet deeply affecting indie about a Staten Island factory worker who deeply regrets stifling his showbiz ambitions, director Raymond De Felitta steps back up to the plate with “Bottom of the 9th,” another dramatically solid and emotionally satisfying drama that pivots on a long-shot attempt to fulfill long-delayed dreams.De Felitta — whose resume also includes “City Island,” “Rob the Mob” and the 2016 TV miniseries “Madoff” — takes an admirably restrained approach to a familiar scenario that could have come off as sappy in the wrong hands.
At the same time, however, he allows his most valuable players, led by Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara, more than enough freedom to make vivid and compelling impressions within the lines he has drawn.Manganiello plays Sonny Stano, a once-promising baseball player who was on his way to
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