I liked the stories of the youngsters.

Rating: Null/10 (7 September 2002)

I viewed the DVD rental of this wholesome, lengthy film not in one sitting but many. Stopping the film was a welcome relief; I am not a baseball fan. As a basketball fan, I could watch hours and hours of "Hoosiers" and the Duke Blue Devils -- so I guess that was part of my negativity toward "The Rookie." I really, really liked the storylines dealing with young Jimmy (Trevor Morgan) and Hunter, and I liked the actors playing those roles. So to me a film dedicated to these relationships, contrasting and comparing, would be most favorable. The scenes with the struggling Owls were great. This depiction as a mere chronology of events was too simple and rather humdrum. Dennis Quaid was excellent in "Frequency," but in this film he was too old, too grizzled. And those guys collecting somebody's and anybody's hair from the barber shop floor and then sprinkling (and still touching) the hair onto the field's surround - ugh! I stopped snacking on my cheddar cheese Combos at those points. A major plus for this film is that the viewer does not mind a family member passing through the room; no embarrassing scenes are part of this. The true story that is included in the DVD is interesting, but what happened to the father and why was he sent to that tiny 1930-ish town to recruit? And why did they stay? I read that Morris is now a motivational speaker; does he ever meet up with the "Rudy" fella. Wow -- talk about making the most of a situation! I'll grade "The Rookie" B-minus: try harder next time.