'It’s just touching': Documentary on former Holy Name, Holy Cross star Neil Fingleton a hit with friends, family

MILLBURY — After almost 3½ years in the making, “Big Smooth,” the documentary chronicling the life of Neil Fingleton, the towering Holy Name High and Holy Cross hoopster who went on to a career in acting, had its United States premiere Monday night at Blackstone Valley 14 Cinema de Lux. The 80-minute biopic stirred fond memories, laughs, tears and love for the full house of the late Fingleton’s friends and family in theater No. 5.

Director Paul Stainthorpe, whose passion for the project was clear, and his Lone Pine Pictures crew hoped the film inspired those who watched.

It did.

“I said it all along,” J.P. Ricciardi, who was Fingleton’s basketball coach at Holy Name, said, “that we always thought we were going to change Neil’s life, but in the end, he changed ours, and (the film) is a perfect example of that. It’s just touching. It was good to see where he started and where he ended up. I’m just so proud of him.”

Fingleton, who came to the U.S. on his own at age 16 from Durham, England, adopted Worcester as his second home, and the city proudly embraced him. After his playing days abroad ended, Fingleton, upon returning to Durham, launched a successful acting career that included a part in “Game of Thrones.” Fingleton gained fame in 2007, when Guinness World Records validated the 7-foot, 7.56-inch Fingleton as the United Kingdom’s tallest living man.

Fingleton died Feb. 25, 2017, at age 36 at his home in Durham.

“It was difficult to lose him at such a young age,” Holy Name/St. Paul athletic director Jim Manzello said. “He is missed, but he’ll never be forgotten.”

'Chance encounter'

Stainthorpe also grew up in Durham, England, and met Fingleton just once, during a chance encounter at a local basketball court when they were both 16. Soon after, Fingleton left England to enroll at Holy Name. Over the years, Stainthorpe followed Fingleton’s career, with admiration, from afar.

Stainthorpe, who made past films about noteworthy Durham residents, considered Fingleton’s life quite remarkable. With the go-ahead from Fingleton’s family, Stainthorpe began working on “Big Smooth” in November 2019. The pandemic stalled the project, but Stainthorpe and his team eventually visited Worcester for footage and interviews, and the film’s premiere was March 26 at Gala Theatre in Durham.

Showing “Big Smooth” in the U.S., or more specifically the Worcester area, was important to Stainthorpe.

Hundreds of Fingleton’s former teammates, coaches, teachers and friends, as well as his mom, Christine, sister, Keely, and niece, Elle, came out for Monday’s event.

“It feels great to be back,” Stainthorpe said, “and, to be honest, looking around, I feel so proud that I’ve brought together so many of Neil’s players, coaches, his family, his friends. I’m looking around thinking it’s a special event, and that’s what it is. It’s a celebration of Neil’s life, and I hope everyone is celebrating.”

Stainthorpe conducted close to 50 interviews for the film, which is thorough, thoughtful and reflective.

“It is fabulous,” Fingleton’s sister, Keely, who saw the film for the second time, said. “It is such a tribute. The memory of Neil is alive for years to come. I loved every minute of it.”

The documentary recounts Fingleton’s childhood in Durham, where he grew up playing soccer and as part of “the tall family,” as his brother Michael said in the film. Michael is 6-foot-9, Keely is 6-3, and Christine 6 feet.

Ricciardi, Phil Giarusso, who was Fingleton’s U.S. guardian, and former Holy Name headmaster Rev. John Madden, recalled meeting Fingleton for the first time at Logan Airport, and Fingleton ducking as he exited the jetway.

“Our lives are never going to be the same,” Giarusso recalled saying at the time.

Popular at Holy Name

When Fingleton began at Holy Name, “he had no coordination and no fitness,” Ricciardi said in the film, but with terrific coaching and Fingleton’s dedication and determination, he was a dominant high school player by the time he was a senior.

The documentary includes footage of Fingleton’s HN games, including the 1999 Division 1 state final against Lawrence Central Catholic, as well as Fingleton navigating the hallways of Holy Name, rising above his much shorter classmates and bending down to open his locker.

Fingleton was always the biggest man on the HN campus, but he was never a “big man on campus,” as Manzello said.

Fingleton’s humility, his family and friends recalled, is among his everlasting traits.

Fingleton’s arrival at Holy Name elicited local, regional and national media attention. Fingleton preferred being part of the team rather than the main attraction.

Footage of Fingleton in the 2000 McDonald’s All-American game, his brief time playing at the University of North Carolina, and his two seasons at Holy Cross, also highlighted the film.

Former HC assistants Eric Eaton and Sean Doherty were at Monday’s U.S. premiere, and Fingleton’s former Holy Cross teammate Torey Thomas was a great assistance to Stainthorpe during the making of “Big Smooth.”

In addition to Fingleton’s basketball feats, the films interviewees remembered Fingleton’s love of history (he earned his degree in history from Holy Cross in 2004), his classic impersonation of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, how he famously drove his VW Golf from the backseat, his kindness, generosity and bravery.

“Everyone’s opinion of Neil really made me proud that I was a small part of that,” Giarusso said.

'One door closed, another opened'

Fingleton’s height brought challenges, of course, and injuries hampered his basketball career, but he accepted his stature as a blessing, not a burden, which Manzello found admirable.

“One door closed (his playing career),” Manzello said in the film, “and another opened (his acting career).”

Fingleton appeared on stage, on television and on the big screen, and “Big Smooth” covered that major part of Fingleton’s life comprehensively.

“I did lose contact with Neil when he returned to Durham,” Manzello said, “and (the documentary) filled in all my thoughts and reflections of how successful he became. That was awesome.”

Toward the end of the film, Fingleton’s mother asks the interviewees, via video, what they remember most about Neil.

Giarusso summed it up best when he said, “Neil was a good soul.”

The documentary concludes with each of Fingleton’s family members and friends reciting a line from his favorite poem, “If,” by Rudyard Kipling.

Stainthorpe is hoping the Boston Film Festival and others accept the film that certainly touched and, yes, inspired those who saw it Monday.

Ricciardi was thrilled by the turnout of the Holy Name family, and support of the Holy Cross and Worcester communities.

Before the film, Fingleton’s mother Christine expressed heartfelt appreciation to Stainthorpe, his team, and everyone in the theater.

“Thank you for taking Neil into your hearts,” she said. “It’s easy to see how he had a second family here. Thank you to everyone who looked after him over the years when he was here and made sure he was OK. It’s absolutely something I’ll never forget.”

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTolandTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Documentary on former Holy Name, HC star Neil Fingleton a hit with friends, family