John Lee Hancock Gets a Pop Up Inside the Park with Dennis Quaid

Rating: 6/10 (14 June 2009)

"Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid), father, teacher, and high school coach, thought his dream was over. He'd had his shot playing baseball, blew out his shoulder, and retired without ever making it to the big leagues. Then, in 1999, Coach Morris made a fateful bet with his perpetually losing team. If they won the district championship, Morris - who threw a 98 mph fastball - would try out for the majors. The team went from worst to first, and Jim, living up to his end of the bargain, threw caution to the wind and was on the road to becoming the oldest rookie in the major leagues" according to the official studio synopsis.
This "feel good / family" movie is nicely played, but blandly fictionalized. As the thirtysomething man receiving a second chance at major league baseball stardom, Mr. Quaid is very believable. His character seems unnaturally distant from family members, which makes you yearn for more physical and emotional contact - perhaps, this is intentional. Quaid is closer to his likewise too old high school students: Jay Hernandez (as Joaquin "Wack" Campos), Rick Gonzalez (as Rudy Bonilla), Chad Lindberg (as Joe David West), and Angelo Spizzirri (as Joel De La Garza). Along with rookie pal Russell Richardson (as Brooks), the younger baseball players are excellent, and give the Quaid and the film heart.
That Mr. Spizzirri is among the standout young performers - he is immediately impressive, as Coach Quaid's high school catcher kid - makes the sadness of his untimely death linger. Curvaceous Rachel Griffiths (as Lorri Morris), appropriately distant Brian Cox (as Jim Morris Sr.), and "Two and a Half Men" star Angus T. Jones (as Hunter Morris) are the family who could have stood some deeper characterization. The song played over the end credits, "Some Dreams" by Steve Earle, fits the film like a glove: "Some dreams don't ever come true aw, but some dreams do."
***** The Rookie (3/26/02) John Lee Hancock ~ Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Angelo Spizzirri