Disney does what they do best and provides a solid genre flick

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2014)

There are NO surprises with Million Dollar Arm. The trailer looked good and I could have sat down and written this myself because of the trailer, because its Disney and because we've seen it all before. Its not always baseball but we've seen this again and again. But so what? There are a lot of genre movies that use the same formula and still manage to be entertaining and Million Dollar Arm is exactly that. A fun, sweet, memorable little flick that will make you smile but adds absolutely nothing new to the family friendly sports genre. It doesn't strike the heart strings deeply but you will definitely appreciate it. It gives you exactly what you should go in expecting. I do wish they had tried just a little harder to find something new to cover but it is what it is and I enjoyed it. It certainly is a fun story, based on real events and I loved seeing the real characters at the end. Usually the best part of a "based on a true story" film is getting the what happened after update. I admit I did almost tear up at one particular part involving a performance that ends up being truly terrific but there have been other Disney or Disney like sports stories that had me crying like a blubbering baby.
Jon Hamm will be looking to Hollywood films with the end of Mad Men imminent and I welcome him! He does a good job playing Sport's agent JB (Mr. JB sir...you'll get the joke after you see the movie.) The only issue with him in this film is how excruciatingly obvious and stereotypical his character is. We have seen this type of character beaten to death. He's rich, a womanizer, big ego, fast car and he's going to be humbled and learn about life and love and find the woman of his dreams. Call it the Emilio complex (Mighty Ducks anyone?) Hamm still handles it well though and he is very charismatic on screen. Pitobash is straight up amazing as the wanna-be Baseball coach that Hamm reluctantly takes under his wing. Pitobash only gets better throughout the film and he is adorable and fun and you will absolutely love him in this. Not to be outdone the other two stars to come out of this film are Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal as the two Million Dollar Arm contestants from India. They are terrific and they play the fish out of water card perfectly without overdoing it and they don't come across as stupid but rather just struggling to live in a completely different world. The four of them (including Hamm) have terrific, outstanding chemistry that really drive this film. Lake Bell feels like an awkward choice for the film. I don't mean to say she isn't good because she does a decent job but she seems to be the oddest fit in the film. Her and Hamm have good chemistry but are such an odd couple (which is also supposed to be the point.) She plays her role with an edge of eccentricity and it stood out in the movie. Still, she was good and I didn't mind her in the role. Alan Arkin...oh its becoming almost painful to watch him. I love the guy, he's a legend, but this is honestly the only role he ever plays anymore. He's a crotchety, old, washed up has been who yells at people and he does it again and again and again. He nailed it in Little Miss Sunshine and has been literally beating the role to death ever since (Grudge Match, Argo, Burt Wonderstone.) I guess if they needed someone for that role they might as well have Arkin. Bill Paxton was also good in a small role that was very effective.
So we have a good to great cast, a painfully predictable script and some characters but a feel good film nonetheless. Disney knows what it does best and this is one of those times. Craig Gillespie is sort of an up and coming director and I'm already a fan. He directed the absolutely brilliant Fright Night remake and has had his hand in some decent comedies as well along the way. I'm not sure this would have been hard to direct given they probably handed him the recipe and told him to bake the cake exactly as it said. Still, the scenes in India were very nice and it definitely hit the right nerves to be in that setting to get the contrast of where these boys come from. The romance is well paced (I hate when they rush the lead couple together) and the film won't offend or annoy anyone. It's just fun. I did feel it dragged just a little bit in the middle but I won't fault them for making sure the entire story was told. All in all if you love baseball, sports films or are looking for something reasonably acceptable for the family (there are some mild sexual innuendos and one or two minor four letter words) then try this one out. Enjoy it but keep your expectations middle of the road. 7.5/10