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The Rookie 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by John Lee Hancock
G, 128 min. (nothing offensive) |
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Starring: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Brian Cox, Trevor Morgan, Beth Grant, Jay Hernandez
Producers: Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray, Mark Johnson
Screenplay: Mike Rich
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Released: 3/29/02 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Good baseball movies usually lean heavily on nostalgia to carry the day, but The Rookie surprisingly offers a poignant
film about life while using the sport of baseball as its conduit rather than weepy melodrama. Based on the true story of Jim Morris' unlikely journey
from high school science teacher to Major League pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the film has just the right balance
between love for the game and love for family. While not in the same league as A Field of Dreams or The Natural, The
Rookie strikes a near perfect note by combining an interesting story with an unforced candor to portray its message
of following your dreams to completion.
The film begins with a shot of Big Lake, Texas in its earliest days when two nuns bought into some land suspected of harboring
large oil deposits under its crust. Big Lake is the eventual destination for Jim Morris in the early 1970s after his father is
moved from place to place because of a military career. But Big Lake is where Jim (Dennis Quaid) stays, although his love for baseball is
tested by a lack of interest in the area, and after a brief stint in the minors where he injurs his shoulder, he returns to
Big Lake to raise a family of his own by becoming a teacher and coach at the local high school. After his team sees his
rejuvenated pitching skills during the season, Jim makes a deal with the team: if they win the district championship, he'll
try out for the minors again. Of course, the team fulfills its end of the bargain and Jim stuns local scouts with a 98 mph
fastball, leading to a minor league contract and slow journey to the big league. Meanwhile, his wife, Lorrie (Rachel Griffiths)
must keep a family afloat while Jim is away, and a strained relationship with his father (Brian Cox) must be reconciled.
The reason The Rookie works is because it's based on a true story. Had a screenwriter written such a cliche-filled script,
it would have never been made. They are several times during the film that one has to remind oneself that yes, this
really did take place; therefore it's difficult to criticize the filmmakers for recreating a geniune story. Obviously, a few
facts were altered and some extraneous material added, but it doesn't take away from the fact that this film has teeth even
though you hardly notice it until the reality of Jim's dream hits home.
In films such as this you need strong performances from the cast, and here Dennis Quaid and Rachel Griffiths shine. Quaid
is allowed to emphasize his strengths, which includes a laid back, strong presence and believability in his role. His
seemingly effortless performance proves he's the perfect actor to play Morris - he's geniune, likable, a family man, and
loves the game of baseball. Griffiths, whose impressive career includes milestone performances in Hilary and Jackie and Me Myself I,
isn't asked to do much, but it's her mere presence that adds another dimension to an ordinary role. Brian Cox also
plays Jim's father with a restrained regret who comes to terms with his past mistakes in raising him.
Director John Lee Hancock (who penned Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) approaches his audience with
intelligence - he avoids the easy trap of sensationalism or sugar-coated silliness by allowing his characters to grow into
their roles and basically act as the average person would in the same circumstances. He obviously loves baseball, because
his film treats it reverently without that preachy sentimentality that spoils similar films. He portrays the innocence between
player and fan and the grassroots love for the game that is evident mainly at the minor league level. This makes the trip to
the big league even more compellling. Some critics have complained that more time should have been spent at the
Major League level, but that's not what this particular story is about. While it's Jim's goal to make it to the top, the trip
wouldn't have been worth it without the support and love from his family.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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