Major Movie Review: Million Dollar Arm

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2014)

Has anyone seen Miracle? I'm not a hockey fan but that movie is so stuffed with fluffy, Disney inspiration and spirit that after watching it even I wanna throw on a couple of skates and ice-tackle some giant Russian dude. It was a great sports movie from The Mickey Mouse guys, MILLION DOLLAR ARM is the latest baseball movie from Disney starring Jon Hamm. Did this movie make me wanna pick up a glove and throw a no hitter or was it another clone off the Moneyball success train?
Sports agent, J.B. Bernstein (Jon Hamm) has a struggling agency that is hungry for some talent to represent. Their best prospect was an up-coming linebacker that jumped ship to a flashier agency. So in an act of desperation he takes on a job for a business investor looking to recruit some Asian talent for some Major League play. So, Bernstein decides to scout around "the next great untapped market" for young baseball talent, India. In order to dig out the next Jeter, J.B. and his associates plan this talent competition, where the best hometown athlete would win $1 million and a chance to try out for a major league contract. It's during one of these stops that the crew discover these two young guys, Rinku (Suraj Sharma) and Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) who both have quite the pitching arm! Rinku has this weird, Swan Kick like pitch that had me ROLLIN'! So after seeing these kids' talent and picking up this hilarious little translator dude, the squad flies back to the states and it's up to J.B. to both get these kids to perfect their pitch for the pros and maybe improve his own personal way of living.
Disney has always been pretty good when it comes to their live-action sports movies. The previously mentioned Miracle is a sports classic, even Invincible with Mark Wahlberg was a pretty good football movie. Million Dollar Arm is a welcomed addition to that fine group of movies, not the best but certainly entertaining. It plays everything pretty close to the formula that a majority of similar sports films follow, so don't be surprised if you can see where this story if going from the start. Thankfully, the strong familiarity of it all isn't too much of a burden as it's a very ewell acted and good looking movie.
Jon Hamm is at his suave, best as J.B. Bernstein. His character has a lot of Jerry McGuire in him; he's a model dating, smooth talker that is on the edge when it comes to his career. But what makes his performance a plus here was how Jon Hamm brought out the likability and humanity of his character, which I didn't think I was gonna see. He wasn't Don Draper here. The two young actors who played the baseball hopefulls were also very good in their roles. Like with Jon Hamm's character, I was surprised with how the movie actually took the time to show some of the smaller, more tender character moments. Moments that made you care for the people on screen. Especially with the young Indian players! Alan Arkin is as enjoyable a screen presence as always, I didn't even know he was in the movie. Bill Paxton and Aasif Mandvi, who I always loved on The Daily Show, also had very good supporting roles. By the way, that's BACK-TO-BACK awesome Paxton flicks with this and my previous review of Edge of Tomorrow! It's great to see him in some good movies again.
Disney is never one to spare any expense with their movies. The production and cinematography are top notch! The 2nd act that takes place across India, when they're recruiting guys, is awesome and authentic, taking us to multiple cities across the country. The film's soundtrack is also a pleasure to the senses. It's this awesome culture and genre blend just like the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. There is no shortage of feel good vibes in this movie, or as I like to call it fluff or cheese. The script is soft and standard enough that it won't be as memorable or as sharp as Moneyball but it's got all the heart and baseball smarts to make for a sports movie that's never boring and actually, pretty touching.
Sports fans and non-sports fans alike will find enough to enjoy this movie. It's an easy, feel-good watch with a great cast and some terrific production. Another win for the Disney Sports library. I say, "IT'S WORTH A WATCH".
What about you guys? Have you seen Million Dollar Arm? What did you think? What's your favorite sports movie ever? Drop a comment and LET'S TALK MOVIES!