Touching, Smart, Friendly and Real

Rating: 7/10 (26 October 2014)

This is based upon a true story.
Big time Sports Agent JB (Jon Hamm) needs to secure his position in the overall sports arena and things are not going well at present. He decides to go to India to get Cricket Players and train them to be professional baseball players. Later he learns he didn't get Cricket Players, but he finds two who have the talent to help him and he is determined to make it work.
I had no idea this was a true story. Never heard of such a thing, but I don't follow baseball anymore due to the steroids/drugs scandals. But, somehow I am sure I still would have heard of this story. Didn't happen.
Onward: The 2-India players: Denish Patel (Madhur Mittal) and Rinku Singh (Suraj Sharma) know very little English and there some funny, amusing things happen when they go to the United States. Of course, all doesn't go as planned, there are disappointments, some stress, and later a second chance. So there is hope. Why make the movie if there wasn't hope, right? That is why I watch. You?
Onward: Bill Paxton as Tom House, the pitching coach and Alan Arkin as Ray Poitevint a retired major league scout give excellent performances. The acting all around is very good.
Onward: we spend some time in India trying out hopefuls. Yes, we do see the Taj Mahal, heavy, heavy traffic, and a lot of excitement regarding the tryouts. Then off to the United States where the real training begins.
There will be sub-titles until Denish and Rinku learn some English. The music is toe-tapping good.
This is a good production: smart, touching, friendly and quite real. There could have been a little more humor in here with Denish and Rinku being exposed to Western ideas, food and technology (you always think that humor is most helpful).
We really never know that when we see a True Story if everything is really true, but suffice it to say - from other accounts - this appears to be the real deal.
If you want to know more about Denish and Rinku, go to Wikipedia and look them up.
When the credits roll at the end, you will see pictures of the real Denish and Rinku. Quite good too.
If I had been a Pittsburgh Pirate fan I would have known about this true story. HA! (7/10)
Violence: No. Sex: No.
Nudity: No. Language: No.