Disney strikes out again. (spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2004)

Once again Disney has been pulling at straws trying to make another Blockbuster hit (having only recently succeeded with Finding Nemo, it seems, and being unable to match it).
Dennis Quaid plays Jimmy Morris, a high school baseball coach out of Texas who makes a wager with his team. Win the championship and he'll try out for the majors (making more of this promise to his son than his team). We see him float around from one dive team to another (and getting equally discouraged by his disuading wife and father) before finally being called up for his shot at the majors. Suddenly, this middle aged man, who dropped out of the minors years ago due to a shoulder injury, is playing top notch for the majors. It is based on a true story, but when Disney thought it would be great to spend big bucks on the story, they should've thought about really developing the story into something entertaining.
Despite the true tales of Jim Morris, this movie really lacks a story, or at least an effective delivery if you want to pay tribute to this guy and his 'amazing feat'. Sure, we see this guy struggling as he gets traded around before finally making it to the majors, encouraging audiences members to remember one thing: stick with your dreams and give it your all through even the most difficult moments if you expect to succeed. However, this movie isn't really entertaining since Jim Morris's character doesn't really do much. Even the baseball action isn't that hot. We just seem more of one guy traveling from one team to the next and not much else. Plus, the movie is just too long.
If it's baseball movies that suit you, then there are plenty of good titles out there (the classics: Field of Dreams; Bill Durham; The Sandlot; League of Their Own; etc.). The Rookie is just plain and simple overrated.