The Rookie movie poster

The Rookie
The sport of baseball--America's designated pasttime--has been portrayed on the big screen from different perspectives and various extremes. Because this sporting event takes on so many mystical personas, the interpretation about the game varies. From hardball flicks about romance ("Bull Durham", "For the Love of the Game") to social conscious-related fare or the whimsy ("Bang the Drum Slowly", "A League of Our Own", "The Natural"), there's a variety that the casual baseball and movie fan base could appreciate. In the earnest and high-spirited Disney release "The Rookie", we see this diamond field fable from another poignant angle--from the concept of faith in family and the determination to chase a dream.

Director John Lee Hancock concocts a suitable, cozy baseball drama that emphasizes certain kinds of relationships pertaining to the game and even beyond the game. Although somewhat flawed in presenting the same ol' cliched' showcase about overcoming the odds to make it in the big leagues therefore overcoming personal adversity, "The Rookie" is a poetic examination of one man's attainable goal that's sprinkled with doses of perseverance and inspiration.

The film tells the true story of Jimmy Morris (Dennis Quaid), a 35-year old high school science teacher and baseball coach that pursues his dream of playing in the Major Leagues. Morris has a great support system in that of his loving family and the supportive students whom regard him with high esteem. But we do find out early on that a young drifting Jimmy Morris (Trevor Morgan) and his family have continuously uprooted from several places because his father (Brian Cox) was a roving military man. From the get-go, Jimmy had baseball in his veins and was never able to satisfy his urge to concentrate on the game because his family was always picking up and moving on. Plus, his old man was somewhat indifferent to Jimmy's fascination with his beloved hobby of hardball. Finally, the Morris family settles in a small western Texas town where Jimmy is able to experience a sense of stability.

We flash ahead as we find Jim Morris in his mid-thirties and teaching science at the local high school. He's the proud papa of small children and married to an understanding woman (Rachel Griffiths). The revelation about Morris, we eventually find out, is that he did engage previously in some minor-league ball until a maddening shoulder injury cut short his ball-playing career. And so Morris went about the business of his livelihood without the benefit of baseball--until he coached it, that is. It is at batting practice that the players notice coach Morris's impressive speed in his pitches. The incredible heat that's thrown is unbelievable and the players urge their coach to try out for the majors based on his newfound talented pitching arm.

Encouraged to go after his baseball shot at the Tampa Bay tryouts by his tolerant wife and other supporters, Jim finds himself on the road again to familiar territory--chasing a career that had once eluded him because of a nagging injury. When Jim takes the mound and the scouts witness his amazing 98-mile per hour fastball, the reality sets in that Morris could be heading for the big time. And what's even more head-scratching is that he makes the Tampa Bay Devil Ray club at an "ancient" age of 35 with practically no big-league experience at all.

"The Rookie" pretty much follows the conventional formula of a sports-related drama where redemption and self-made sacrifices are looked upon as rudimentary ingredients. But the film has its convincing moments where it pays homage to the affecting lives of the resilient Jim Morris, not just focusing on Morris alone. The folks whose love and admiration that is invested in Morris and his personal accomplishments are every bit as instrumental and motivating. Because of this, "The Rookie" is a noteworthy family-friendly vehicle willing to embrace the idealism of familial bonds, particularly between a son and his larger-than-life father that incorporates the game of baseball as that sacred playground that cements their male-bonding relationship.

Quaid's performance is steady and heartfelt as the workhorse athlete and all-around family man that seizes the opportunity to capture his one-in-a-lifetime experience and make it count. Griffiths is terrific in the role of his wife who stands by his side lovingly. The storytelling aspect of the film's narrative could have used some tightening up by avoiding some of the lagging subplots such as Jim's uneventful upbringing courtesy of a distant father. Still, there are touching and funny spots such as Morris's kids (at home and at his school) that sit there in disbelief at their hero's newly discovered athletic abilities.

"The Rookie" is an innocuous piece of entertainment that cherishes more than just the exploits of seasonal roundball and one man's wish to bask in all its glory...it also celebrates the human spirit without all the pretentious fanfare. There's nothing really risky in this film's inevitable feel-good conclusion, but it does hit an emotional line drive up the middle that's simply hard to resist.