Not the right throw

Rating: 5/10 (2 May 2015)

I guess Hollywood has run out of film ideas concerning the prejudice black people suffered in various sports so now they have turned to the inspiring true story of people from cricket loving India trying to break into professional baseball.
Jon Hamm plays the struggling sports agent who hits upon an idea of launching a talent contest to find baseball talent in India and then bringing them over to the USA and train them for the major league.
The film has location shooting in India as Hamm tagged along with a snoozing Alan Arkin looks for pitchers with the right throwing arm. We have scenes of Mumbai, Agra with the obligatory Taj Mahal.
When he finds two pitchers we have the cultural clash as they try to adapt to life in the States as well as impressing the big league scouts as Hamm and his partner stave off money troubles.
The film has a side plot of Hamm trying to sign a major league player which echoes Jerry Maguire right to the bit where the player signs with a bigger agency as Hamm is diverted to look after his other charges.
There is nothing original in the story. In fact it's downright predictable with only the idea of getting players from India being novel. It also felt too long which led me to believe the film was padded.
Jon Hamm and Aasif Mandvi give a lot of conviction as the struggling sports agents. Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal have the right balance of sweet eyed innocence, young people leaving a village life in search to hit the jackpot in the lottery of life.