Wolff rating: NOT BAD
Plot summary: Boy breaks arm and it heals so he can pitch 100MPH fastballs. Naturally, the major league teams are interested.
Biased, pithy comments: This an eleven-year old's fantasy. Stern has captured the joy and wonder in every boy's dream---sure, you're arm is lame now, but what if you were lucky enough to have that all change? Then you could be in the Big Show! Wow! Nicholas has the right aura of pleased disbelief followed by gut-rending horror at the pressure, Busey is OK in his ``I wish I were Nick Nolte'' appeal, and even Morton carries her end of the stick. That said, the stick is sure one old story---predictable, simple-minded, and surprisingly cartoonish at times; Stern's cameos as the insane batting coach are unfunny buffoonery, Altman is annoying and really a side issue to young Henry's rise to the majors, and the resolution is pretty much unbelieveable. Still, in small doses (I watched bits and pieces of this movie while exercising) it was fun and even Nicholas at his most annoying seemed good-natured to me; other adults' reactions may vary. I like movies about baseball, so I liked this one; other baseball fans may find nitpicks and silliness (including not wearing batting helmets in the batting cage). So, not great, but I had a good time, at least. Kids will like it far better than adults.
Other Notes: Whooboy---reviews are mixed. Some people really resonated to the story and the fear of failure in front of cheering crowds; some people found the whole exercise annoying.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Thomas Ian Nicholas, Gary Busey, Albert Hall, Amy Morton, Dan Hedaya, Bruce Altman.
Directed by: Daniel Stern