Summer Catch

`Summer Catch' gets points for trying hard, but it is saddled with so many liabilities that it crashes and burns without getting much altitude. The script is a mish mash of tired themes. Small town boy makes good meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks meets baseball underdog gets big break. The film tries to bill itself as another `Bull Durham' but it has none of the subtlety, comedy or insider perspective of that film. Mostly this is just another lightweight Freddie Prinze, Jr. romantic comedy where Jessica Biel is the catch of the day.

Prinze plays his standard romantic hero role and tries to throw in some baseball. He is fair at both but keeps getting outshined by his supporting cast. I've never really understood the big sensation over Jessica Biel. She shows in this film that her acting is far inferior to her looks. Biel and Prinze interact like marble statues, nice to look at but no chemistry whatever.

The best performances were given by supporting cast members. Fred Ward does a terrific job as Ryan's dad. Brian Dennehy is always fabulous in supporting roles and does not disappoint as the coach of the A's. Brittany Murphy does a fantastic wild thing, with a provocative earthiness that is simultaneously seductive and cute.

There is not much substance here. The baseball scenes are weak and the romance is tepid. The film has some endearing moments but fails to distinguish itself except that it gets goofy far too often. I rated it a 5/10. Fans of Prinze and Biel will enjoy seeing them look sexy for an hour and three quarters. Others might want to miss it.

Yesterday I watched this movie in Pay-TV - okay, it just happened because of Jessica Biel, and in two scenes... whoa!

The movie is a mixture of an usual Teenie-Lovestory and an usual Sports Drama. All of it you have seen a thousand times in other movies and when you watch the first five minutes, you know how this movie ends.

I'm rating it 5/10.

`Summer Catch' is yet ANOTHER `coming of age' movie, albiet with a attractive cast and some pretty funny humor. Freddie Prinze, Jr. leads an attractive, talented cast in a story which is one third `Bull Durham, one third `Porky's' and one third `every boy from the wrong side of the tracks meets rich girl movie you've ever seen." Considering it's pedigree, it's surprising this movie was made within the bounds of a PG-13 rating. Perhaps, that's part of the problem. Just when you are expecting it to open up and get REALLY raunchy, it backs away. Certainly, there is NO problem with the cast. Freddy Prinze, Jr. is quite earnest as Ryan Dunne, the `yard boy' turned pitcher; however, despite the slight accent, he's not particularly believable as an Irishman. As Prinze's love interest, Tenley Parrish, Jessica Biel brings the same qualities to the screen as Jamie Lee Curtis, in more ways than two. Once you get past the stunning figure (well showcased, briefly, in a bikini), you realize she's a real person, and a quite likeable one. Matthew Lillard is very funny as Billy Brubaker, as is Marc Blucas as Miles Dalrymple, Gabriel Mann as Auggie and Jed Rhein as Pete. Brittany Murphy makes an appropriately "local bar tramp," and Beverly D'Angelo (an incredibly well preserved 48) as the movie's `Mrs. Robinson'. Zita Gray is cute as Jessica Biel's little sister, Katie. Even Randi Layne makes a favorable impression in a VERY small role as Jessica's mother. Please don't let me forget the contributions of Brian Dennehy, Fred Ward, Bruce Davison and Jason Getrick.

One of the BIG problems with `Summer Catch' is the repetitiveness of the subplotting. You don't get just ONE example of the `boy virgin meets ‘Mrs. Robinson,' you get FIVE. The same goes for the `big talk about your career problems scene,' `local bar tramp causes the jock to miss his appointment,' etc. Perhaps that's why the movie seems overlong, which is a killer for a comedy. HOWEVER, I can't remember another movie I've seen recently in which I can remember the names of so many of the characters. That counts for a lot with me...

Summer Catch was not the worst movie I've ever seen, but it could have made it there with a little more trying. The best actors in the movie were either given little to work with in trite, cliched roles, or were not given enough screen time to showcase their abilities. Bruce Davison, Brian Dennehey, and Jason Gedrick, as Jessica Biel's snobbish father, the gruff coach with a heart of gold, and Freddie Prinze's older brother, who settled for a career as a bartender instead of aspiring for more, are, respectively, the former. The latter include Marc Blucas (Riley on Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Christian Kane (Lindsey McDonald on Angel, also Love Song, Crossfire Trail, Broken Hearts Club), and Wilmer Valderrama (That 70's Show). All three do get to show some of their stuff on the diamond and appear to be athletically talented. But they are wasted otherwise. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel don't seem to generate any real sparks. The little girl (Tenley's little sister) who wants to be the team mascot is cute, and Fred Ward acquits himself well as Freddie's father. Beverly D'Angelo should never, never have participated in the excruciatingly bad imitation (perhaps parody should be the better word) of Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham. However, I will buy this when it comes out on video because I can fast forward through Freddie and see just the parts I want!

A care free movie about the love of base ball and the opposite sex. Well, Freddie Prinze is the hot shot pitcher trying to make his mark in life while mowing lawns. Along comes Jessica Biel and he is head over heels in love. Playing base ball and making the big time is his goal, but the super rich father of the opposite sex has other diabolical plans and doesn't want the guy who mows the lawn involved with his daughter. But as happens, love congers all and Freddie and Jessica are united in the end. Ad nauseum. Predictable. But a lighthearted movie and worth the time to watch.