I love it when you call me big poppa

Rating: Null/10 (21 March 2014)

A fairly good ball movie, Brian Robbins' "Hardball" stars Keanu Reeves as a chronic gambler who agrees to coach a children's baseball team in the hopes of paying off outstanding debts. Along the way, kids and adults grow, change and learn valuable life lessons.
Formulaic? Yes, but "Hardball" does some interesting things. Like "Bad News Bears" it mixes sentimentality with grit, and elsewhere paints a depressing portrait of urban life, specifically the hardships faced by those growing up in Chicago's ABLA housing projects. The film's cinematography is at times novel – lots of redbrick tower blocks, sunbaked pitches and dank bars – and the always ethereal Diane Lane melts the eyes. Based loosely on a true story.
7.9/10 – See "Bull Durham" and "Up For Grabs".