The Hill (2023 film)

The Hill is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film about baseball player Rickey Hill overcoming a physical handicap in order to try out for a legendary major league scout. It was directed by Jeff Celentano from a screenplay by Angelo Pizzo and Scott Marshall Smith.  It stars Dennis Quaid, Colin Ford, Joelle Carter, Randy Houser, Jesse Berry, Bonnie Bedelia, and Scott Glenn.

The film was released in theaters by Briarcliff Entertainment on August 25, 2023.

Premise

In a small town in Texas, a young Rickey Hill wears leg braces due to a degenerative spinal disease, but enjoys playing baseball.  His strict father and a pastor dissuades Rickey from baseball, wanting to shield him from further injuries. A few years later, Rickey becomes a "baseball phenomenon." However, when he wants to try out for a legendary major league scout, it divides the family. He eventually signs with the Montreal Expos in 1975 and plays four seasons before his spine gives out.

Cast 

 Colin Ford as Rickey Hill
 Dennis Quaid as Pastor Hill
 Joelle Carter as Hellen Hill, Rickey's mother
 Scott Glenn as Red Murff, the MLB scout who discovers Rickey
 Bonnie Bedelia as Gram
 Randy Houser as Ray Clemons, a man from Rickey's childhood who encourages him to try out for MLB
 Jesse Berry as young Rickey Hill
 John Smoltz as a baseball color commentator

Production
In August 2021, Deadline reported that Dennis Quaid joined the cast of the sports drama film The  Hill, with Jeff Celentano directing from a script by Angelo Pizzo and Scott Marshall Smith. It was produced by Celentano with Rescue Dog Productions and Warren Ostergard of Vitamin A Films.  Quaid plays Pastor James Hill while Colin Ford plays his son Rickey Hill.  Celentano said, "I'm setting out to make an iconic film in the classic sense, a beautiful sweeping and powerful inspirational story. One that will stand the test of time like Blindside, Rudy, Field of Dreams and The Natural. Dennis was the first and only person I thought of for the lead role upon reading the script."  The Hill was Smith's final film before his death in December 2020.

Principal photography took place in Augusta, Georgia and the surrounding Columbia County region from November to December 2021. Other locations included the Lake Olmstead Stadium and Central Savannah River Area.  The historic Wrightsboro Church in McDuffie County was used to depict a 1960s era church in rural Texas.

Music
Music and primary score was composed by Geoff Zanelli. The end credits features Randy Houser's 2022 single Rub  A Little Dirt On It.

Release
The Hill was released in theaters by Briarcliff Entertainment on August 25, 2023. It was originally set to be released earlier on August 18.

Reception

Box office 
In the United States and Canada, The Hill was released alongside Gran Turismo, Retribution, and Golda, and is projected to gross $2–3 million from 1,570 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $800,000 on its first day.

Critical response
  Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an 80% positive score, with 58% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave a mixed review, criticizing the slow pace and "extraneous subplots".  He praised the writers, saying "Angelo Pizzo and the late Scott Marshall Smith inject plenty of warmth and humor into the tale, never letting the characters overly succumb to stereotypes" and "Fortunately, the film also includes enough light-hearted humor to compensate for its corniness".  

G. Allen Johnson writing for the San Francisco Chronicle gave a negative review. He criticized the script as being a "cliched" Hollywood biopic, elaborating "The Hill is meant to be inspiring, of course, and to some, it might be, but the vibe is more reassuring in the way that it does not deviate from the standard-issue formula of such movies. It is a cinematic case of confirmation bias, designed to fulfill preexisting values and beliefs".  He described Celentano's direction as "a Rockwellian postcard vision of midcentury small-town American South, where even the rusty cars and run-down houses have a golden nostalgic glow".

References

External links
 
 
 

2023 biographical drama films
2023 drama films
2023 films
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
2020s sports drama films
American baseball films
American biographical drama films
American sports drama films
Biographical films about sportspeople
Cultural depictions of baseball players
Films about disability in the United States
Films about Major League Baseball
Films directed by Jeff Celentano
Films scored by Geoff Zanelli
Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state)