The Perfect Game

If you liked movies like The Blind Side, Hoosiers or League of Their Own then you will like this movie. Quick description, this movie is a based on the true story of a little league baseball team from Monterey Mexico that came to the USA to play in the little league tournament. The movie is set in 1957 when prejudice was healthy in America. I am pleased to say that they did not overdo the part of the struggle. These boys were underdogs in every sense of the definition; they were poor, smaller and foreign. This is a powerful beautiful movie of the power of children's love for the game and their desire to overcome obstacles. I do not want to give too much of the story away, but I will touch on a few points. The movies color, lighting and sets are very well done for a very low budget film, which is not easy to recreate 1957 Mexico and America. I really liked the actors and their roles, Cheech Marin put a nice zip in being a priest and Clifton Collins is a great little known actor as the coach. There were a lot of great actors in smaller parts David Koechner, Frances Fisher, Emilie DeRavin, John Cothran, Tracy Walter and it was really nice to see Louis Gossett Jr again. I was a little disappointed that the child actors were not Mexican decent, mainly because the accents were way off. Other than that there were only minimal complaints of over acting, clichés and tempo, that did NOT rob from the spirit of the movie. Fantastic movie, that is more than a movie, for anyone who has ever been an underdog.

This is a very uplifting and inspiring film, with many moments that will make you cheer, laugh, and yes, tear up. Most of the acting performances are forgettable, but some of the kids are often cute and genuinely funny.

The fact that this movie tells a true story is the best thing about it. But, it's a shame that one of the greatest moments in all of sports history had to be watered down with so many hackneyed sports-movie tropes and downright maudlin scenes. And the depiction of Little League play, even for 1957, is laughably unrealistic. The fact is that players of that age, and at that world championship level, are far, far more talented than the often clumsy and awkward playing depicted in this movie.

However, don't let any of the negatives dissuade you from seeing this family friendly account of a truly amazing event that really happened.

I thought the acting was great, but I was not a huge fan of the baseball scenes. The throwing mechanics of several of these players was awful...and there was one scene where Angel supposedly threw a strike, yet the ball was clearly spiked (thrown in the dirt). That's really the only thing missing, and I felt it was significant enough to warrant giving it a 7 out of 10. Definitely an inspiring movie though, and you could sense the support the team gained along the way. I do realize that they have changed a few things from the true story, such as the quantity of time spent playing baseball prior to leaving for America. I loved the incorporation of the actual footage into the movie. It was a bit weird too with the several instances where the coach/someone would say, "they don't speak English," yet the movie was entirely in English.

The movie has a nice plot, and any intense baseball fan will love the history of the story (I'm a huge baseball fan, yet I had never heard of the 1957 Little League Champions before I watched this film). The acting is OK; the visuals are nice. The only criticism I have is that the movie gets way too sappy and syrupy at times.

I was fortunate to see the film, compliments of studio movie grille, and I was not disappointed.

I thought it was a classic "feel good" family movie. Yeah, it won't win any awards, but it will win over your heart.

For some that need "deeper" in a movie for it to be worthy of praise, forget a' bout' it.

It's simple and to the point, yeah, you know what's coming next, but that's alright, it's why we go the movies with our families!

Get it, watch it, enjoy it. Yes, just that simple.

I thought they did a good job of making it all look fifties. Just like the movie, simple times.