The Rookie (2002)

Just perfect...

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Jim Morris moved a lot as a kid being the son of a military man (Brian Cox). His baseball dream got sidelined time and again. He ended up in Texas where nuns supposedly blessed the grounds after putting their money in drilling oil. He was actually drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers but injuries ended his career. He returned back to Texas. He (Dennis Quaid) teaches high school chemistry with his wife (Rachel Griffiths) and three kids. He coaches an unmotivated school baseball team. The team wants him to go to a tryout for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He agrees to do it if the team wins the championship.This is a nice inspirational family film. It's your basic nice small-town guy makes it to the big leagues. It's great anytime no matter what the big league is. That's not to say that this is a nothing special movie. In addition to the expected feel-good moments, there are some fun moments and some heart breaking moments. I like the grass. I like all the minor obstacles. I like Dennis Quaid. There's a lot to like.

My only criticism of this movie is that it's a bit long, as they try to fit two stories into one. Would've been fairly easy to make an entire movie of the first half--a baseball coach who inspires his under- achieving team to rally and win district, then an entirely different movie of the second half--a 30-something science teacher giving himself one last chance to make the big leagues.For me, this movie is right up there with other great sports movies, such as Hoosiers, Miracle, and Chariots of Fire. Perhaps not quite at that level, but the story is great and definitely inspiring. Even if you're not a baseball fan, you can appreciate the emphasis this movie puts on the realities and pressures that families face every day in balancing work and taking care of the kids. And I love that they bring out the challenges of minor league baseball--long bus rides, very little income, and away from family for months at a time.My favorite scene is after Jim finishes his tryout and is walking back to his truck, the scout comes up to tell him that he, although almost twice the other kids' age, actually threw 98 mph. The scout tells Jim that if he doesn't call it in he's gonna get fired and that Jim can expect to get a phone call. Just wish he'd throw away the dirty diaper!

This movie is a good family movie that has the usual rags to riches story. If you are an avid baseball enthusiast, you are going to be disappointed. This movie very poorly portrays the game of baseball. The story is quickly moving sometimes, and other times it is very slow. T he camera work is way to flashy at many points and is a good cause of a headache. The acting is OK, but not as good as expected for Dennis Quaid. The fact that the movie is set on a true story, many things seem unrealistic and very Disney like. Overall, the movie is a disappointing film that seemed to be over hyped and very average. This movie is average but is a good family movie to waste a rainy day.

I first saw this movie 3 years ago, and it was introduced by then Disney chief Eisner and the real Jim Morris.About a month ago, it came back on TV, and this time I taped it. Since then I must've watched it at least three times.This is a wonderful, inspirational, feel good movie that is intelligently written and believably acted by everyone concerned. It resists going for every sentimental trick in the book, as well as all of the other clichés.It is refreshing to see a movie where the kids aren't jerks and have a whole slew of behavioral issues, and the jocks aren't portrayed as testosterone driven muscleheads.These are just normal people who have dreams like you and I.In my opinion, Hollywood as gone the other extreme to what they term "gritty realism", making movies where everyone curses, and has problems with aggression.This movie is about a man who has a dream, and is encouraged by friends and family to pursue that dream. The people in Big Lake TX seem so personable that I want to move there.As I said b4, the film doesn't try to go overboard with sentimentality. Dennis Quaid, as usual, never disappoints. I've watched him from the late 70's, and he is so underrated.But this movie has excellent performances from EVERYONE concerned, and kudos to the writers.A gem in the movie is near the end when Jim is practicing in the dugout before the big game, and his wife calls out to him from the stands. He rushes over and reaches out to his family. The look on the faces of the three other pitchers sitting on the bench in the dugout is priceless.If you're looking for a change of pace, then pick this movie up.