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Who doesn’t love a good baseball movie? Okay, a baseball movie that doesn’t star Kevin Costner! Hey, The Rookie is a good baseball movie and it stars Dennis Quaid (Frequency) as the near do well pitcher Jimmy Morris. Since this is a Disney film, there is no nudity, violence or potty language, so what does it have to do with baseball then? If you can’t yell bad words, what do you have? Well, this movie gives you a great story, but the message is about believing in yourself and having a dream, even if you are way too old to dream. Okay, it is Disney and their stuff always has some sappy message to deliver even if it makes you feel good. The film begins when the young Jimmy, a Navy brat, is practicing his fastball in the freezing dead of a Connecticut winter. His mom (Beth Grant of Rock Star) calls him inside to announce that his father (Brian Cox of Super Troopers and Crocodile Dundee 3) has been transferred to Florida. As it is typical with the military, the first move never takes and within a matter of months the family is off again, this time to a small oil town in Texas. This time the move is heartbreaking to Jimmy, they don’t have baseball where he is going. What this town has is a good baseball story that is all about two nuns, a dream, and blind faith. Fast forward to an adult Jimmy, still in the same town, where he is teaching high school science and is in his second year as the baseball coach of ten boys. After the first game of the season his boys get the pep talk about dreams. It doesn’t have to be a dream of a career in baseball or even a scholarship, it just starts with working hard at your goals and not giving up. They boys agree if they win the divisional title then their coach needs to give the big league one more try. He had his chance when he was in his early 20s, but a shoulder injury ended that dream. The Rookie was directed by John Lee Hancock and Mike Rich did the writing for the screenplay. Also appearing in this film are Rachel Griffith (Blow) as Jimmy’s wife, Jay Hernandez (Joy Ride), Royce D. Applegate (O Brother, Where Art Thou) and Angus T. Jones as the adorable son Hunter Morris. Despite the fact we see no Quaid ass, or heck, even one of the ball players, The Rookie is an enjoyable film for everyone, even those that heaven forbid, gasp, hate baseball. I give The Rookie a nine out of ten. Bu bye
Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008 02:48:35 AM Click Here to get back into frames.
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