Baseball and movies are a combination that really puzzles me. I find the actual game to be rather slow, boring and relatively uninteresting. Movies about baseball, however, captivate me for some reason. The Natural and Field of Dreams are two of my favorite movies. I can listen to Billy Crystal, in City Slickers, talk about what baseball means to him and understand completely. Still, as much as I try to like it, the sport of baseball’s appeal befuddles me. The Rookie, while nowhere near as good as the aforementioned films, is also about baseball. Specifically, it’s the story of Jimmy Morris (Dennis Quaid), who gets a second chance to live his dream of playing in the major leagues. The twist here is the story is true.
Jimmy Morris, the real player, pitched two seasons for the Tampa Bay Devilrays. Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of him, as he wasn’t really a star player. The film (and the real story) is about how he got to the majors. His initial, failed attempt at making the big leagues left him with an injured and surgical repaired shoulder. Forced to give up on his dream, he begins teaching science and coaching baseball in Big Lake, Texas. Still, the dream still burns within and, every night, he’s out throwing baseballs at a fence, fantasizing about playing in the World Series, just like he did when he was a kid. When he pitches for batting practice with his high school team, he realizes his fastball has gotten much faster and his arm doesn’t hurt anymore. Faced with the prospect of coaching his team through another losing season, he makes a speech about not quitting. His team makes a bet with him. If the team can make it to the championships, Jimmy has to once again try out for the major leagues and show off that fastball.
Dennis Quaid is perfect for the role of Jim Morris. His combination of boyish good looks and intense facial expressions captures the emotion quite well. His performance is what powers this film. Young Angus T. Jones, who plays Morris’ son, Hunter, is also very good and joins my relatively small list of child actors who don’t annoy me. Other roles, however, border on throwaway. Rachel Griffiths, who is so good in HBO’s Six Feet Under, is given very little to do here as Morris’ wife, Lorrie. Brian Cox, who was the original Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter, is alternately gruff and somewhat sad as Morris’ father, but is still not challenged by his small role.
The script by Mike Rich really doesn’t have to work very hard at making the story dramatic. From all of the accounts I’ve read, the movie very accurately follows the events as they actually happened, taking very few liberties for dramatic purposes. The pacing, however, is a little off-kilter. The first part of the movie, which chronicles Jimmy’s childhood and his coaching days, is tightly paced. The second act, which follows Jimmy’s minor league career, stumbles and seems overlong and slow. Luckily, that stretch doesn’t sink the movie, which becomes buoyant again in the third act as it reaches its satisfying, if slightly clichéd, ending.
If you’re a baseball fan, you’ll certainly enjoy The Rookie. The story is true and it’s very inspiring. If you’re not a baseball fan, you’ll also enjoy the film. It is not a classic, but it is very good and solidly made. As a bonus, it’s Rated G, which means it is truly family friendly.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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