Viewed in
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
A kid gets an accidental Tommy John surgery (sorta) and is hired to be closer for the Chicago Cubs.
Liked
Some of the cute kid stuff.
Disliked
That it was too kid-oriented.
Hated
Daniel Stern's stupid character.
Thoughts
It was so full of saccharine, that I felt like I needed to see the dentist when it ended.
Thomas Ian Nicholas was the best part of the movie as the very likable "aw-shucks" kid with a heart of gold. John Candy put in some funny work as an announcer. I also liked some of the kid-oriented comedy, like boys being clueless around girls, and being amused by cuss-substitution words like "funky butt-loving". The story-telling did a good job of making it kid-accessible. While it had a happy ending, I was uncertain if there was a moral to teach kids about.
The biggest problem was that it was not adult-friendly at all. I may no longer be a fan, but I still know the rules of the game, and all the cinematic shortcuts that the movie took really insulted my baseball intelligence. Meanwhile, the plot as a whole was an insult to my movie intelligence. It did capture moments of wonder and sweetness, but I got bored by the repetitive same note; after all, how many medium-to-close-up shots of the slack-jawed kid do you need to hammer the message home? Another aspect I was not a fan of was that the entire cast had their over-acting dialed up to 11 the whole time. Daniel Stern was insufferable as the dimwitted pitching coach.
In terms of unintentional comedy, there was the casting of pre-crazy Gary Busey as the grizzled pitcher, and pre-HGH Barry Bonds in a cameo.
Since it was intended as a family movie, my guess is that it probably would entertain kids, but at the cost of driving their parents nuts. As a kid, I always wanted to watch this movie. Too bad I never got to.
What I would change
No idea.
