A science teacher accepts a bet from his little league team that if they can reach the playoffs he would try out for the majors. The deal is made when he was pitching batting practice for the team it was discovered that the coach could throw a baseball quite fast and accurate. He then tries out and makes the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He then must contend with the low pay of minor league baseball as his family struggles with paying the bills at home. Will he reach his lifetime goal of playing in the major leagues or will he quit to return home and help pay the bills?
Baseball films are a dime a dozen in the world of cinema. From almost magical films like The Natural and The Field of Dreams to the unbearable such as Rookie of the Year and For the Love of the Game they are released on a yearly basis near the start of the spring and America's pastime. The fact that separates this 2002 Disney offering is that it's a G-rated drama instead of a PG or PG-13 rated film. That fact should help it gross a substantial amount of money at the box office. Does it deserve its eventual success at the turnstiles?
Thankfully, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. The film's script is very inoffensive yet sidesteps the pratfalls of all sports films. It doesn't have nearly as many clichés as you would expect in such a film. And even its few clichés effect is lessened by a great performance by lead Dennis Quaid. He delivers an appropriately understated performance when it would be easy for a more inexperienced actor to play the character with giddy and childish excitement at finally realizing his lifelong dream. His performance is pitch perfect (pun intended). As Lorri, Quaid's wife, Rachel Griffiths is right on cue. A supporting cast that includes Brian Cox and Jay Hernandez does the rest of acting admirably.
John Hancock's direction is for the most part on target. He might have made the wrong decision in spending much of an hour telling how Quaid's team goes from worst to first. The audience already knows the end result of their winning so just get on with the main story. Aside from that minor problem, his direction evokes the appropriate emotions and tells the story without too much of a heavy-handed feel creeping into the film. The cinematography by John Schwartzman is beautiful and really shows what a beautiful spectacle baseball is.
Overall, The Rookie is a very well acted and filmed baseball movie that evokes its intended feel despite lagging in the beginning as its gears get going and the film gets to its main story.
Rating: 88
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