This is under Q because of Dennis Quaid.
Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Mike Rich (Screenplay)
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez, Beth Grant, Angus T Jones, Brian Cox, Rick Gonzalez
Plot: A Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.
Tagline – It’s never too late to believe in your dreams.
Runtime: 2 Hours 7 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Inspiring Sports Drama
Story: The Rookie starts as we meet a young Jimmy Morris who moved around America as a kid, with his love of baseball remaining strong, he never made it to the big time, becoming a local science teacher Jimmy (Quaid) now coaching the local high school team in baseball, reveals his throwing ability, which sees him agree to one thing with his team, if they make the finals, he will try out for the Major League.
After his team perform, Jimmy goes for a try out and proves to have one of the fastest arms in the sport, leading to the major league teams willing to give him a position in his team, only can he perform, or is his previous injuries going to haunt him chances.
Thoughts on The Rookie
Characters – Jimmy Morris grew up playing baseball, he was a natural, but his family moved from town to town, making it hard for him to settle, he grew up to become a science teacher, husband, father and baseball coach, with his team learning on his arm, making a deal with him, which ends up seeing him get a try out for the major league with the fresh out of college players. Lorri is the wife of Jimmy, she has seen him struggle through his injuries and however difficult it might seem, supports his dream of going to have a chance of playing in the big time. Joaquin Campos is the cockiest player on the team Jimmy coaches, he pushing Jimmy into the deal, which sees the team improve.
Performances – Dennis Quaid is the true star of the show, he gives us a clear understand of the conflict he is facing with following his dream or staying professional. The rest of the cast let Quaid shine through the film without needing to get out of comfort zone.
Story – The story here follows a science teacher and baseball coach that goes for a try out for the big time, only to turn heads with the pace of his arm, becoming one of the oldest men to become a rookie in the major league. This is based on the real achievement of the athlete, so we know that we are going to have a happy ending, we are more focused on the ideas of getting to the landmark, dealing with life choices he must face on whether it will be a good or bad idea. It does have a feel-good feeling to everything that is happen, though it does have everything we would expect to see in the film.
Sport – When it comes to the sport side of the film, we get to see how baseball is being thrown, it shows what it would feel like for one player, even if the sport isn’t the most interesting.
Settings – The film shows us with the opening how Jimmy moves around a lot, with him finding a home in a small town, it shows how skill athletes can be found anywhere.
Scene of the Movie – The first game.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not learning what the injuries Jimmy suffered were.
Final Thoughts – This is a by the book inspiring sports drama, it does everything correctly without needing to be complicated and is an easy watch.
Overall: Sports Drama 101.
