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An avid baseball fan, a very young boy, Jim Morris, (Trevor Morgan) gets a "high" when he plays
the game. This happens in spite of the indifference and discouraging attitude of his father whose job requires constant moving from state to state.
In the 1970s, Jim finds himself in the small town of Big Lake, Texas. To his dismay, football rather than baseball is the town's favored sport. Jim, however, keeps his dream of playing in the big league till he injures his arm. In 1999, Jim (Dennis Quaid) is now married with three kids, teaches in high school and coaches the Big Lake Owls, the high school baseball team. Faced with a losing streak, the team makes a deal with their coach. Should they win the district championship, their coach attends a big league try-out. Sensing a dormant greatness in Jim, the team gets its act together and wins. Jim now has to fulfill his part of the bargain. When he pitches before the scouts of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Jim's velocity reaches 98 mph in the radar, and instantly Jim becomes the hottest prospect, even at 35 years old. He is on the verge of realizing his lifelong dream but he is undecided whether to accept the challenges of Big League Baseball. For one thing, he has family responsibilities.
Baseball is an institution in the USA where it has its own mythology and magic. But even
if one were not smitten with baseball, this movie can warm the cockles of any heart as it strikes a chord of recognition. Our unlikely hero can be like anyone of us.
Based on a novel of his life written by Morris himself with the cooperation of Joel Engel, the movie is faithful to its source material. Devoid of dazzling pyrotechnics and ear-splitting digital sounds, the story so simply and effectively told, is a welcome change from the showy and loud films often shown today. It draws its strength from the humanity of its characters and the fine acting that gives them life. Quaid as the affable Morris nicely puts across his dilemma of trying to balance the responsibilities of being a family man and his need to take a last shot to attain his dream. Rachel Griffiths as Lorri, the supportive wife, and Brian Cox as the insensitive father deserve mention.
This feel good movie can be inspiring to a lot of people who have abandoned their dreams
because of lack of opportunity or because of age. The movie shows that commitment, determination and hard work are pivotal factors for the fulfillment of goals.
One must be ready for the challenge when the opportunity comes. The importance of warm, loving human relationships to success is also clearly shown. When Morris is
agonizing over his decision, his wife's support is crucial.
The baseball team and the townspeople are all encouraging and their feeling of pride in their townmate's success is heart-warming. The magnanimity of Morris in his hour of success towards his insensitive father reveals the heart of a true herono bitterness, no rancor, only love and forgiveness. In the movie, baseball is a metaphor for life. It takes as much to win a game as it does to win in life.
(Date reviewed: September 6, 2002)
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