Rookie of the Year

"Rookie of the Year" is one of my favorite baseball movies. One of the things I liked the most about this movie is that it's set in Chicago, my hometown. Most of the action in the film takes place at Wrigley Field, home of the long suffering Chicago Cubs. It's about a clumsy 12-year-old boy named Henry Rowengartner, who loves to play baseball. However, the kid can't do anything right on the field. One day, trying to impress a girl, he tries to catch a fly ball. But ends up slipping on a baseball lying on the ground and in the process breaks his right arm. After four months of recouperation, the cast comes off. Afterwards Henry's mother gives him and his two best friends tickets to the latest Cubs game. The three boys are sitting in the bleachers when a home run is hit. The ball lands close to where they're sitting and one of Henry's friends recovers the ball. The fans sitting nearby yell at the kid to throw it back on to the field. The kid doesn't want to do it and gives the ball to Henry's other friend who ends up giving the ball to Henry. He agrees to do it. Then an amazing thing happens. Henry not only throws the ball back on to the field, he throws the ball all the way to home plate! The crowd is in stunned silence after seeing this. Who threw that ball? is the question on everyone's mind. When the owners find out it's Henry, they ask him if he would like to pitch for the Cubs. Henry goes bonkers and agrees to pitch. After throwing some practice pitches, the owners and managers discover that he has a 100 m.p.h. fastball. They think this could be the perscription the Cubs need since they're already going through another disasterous season (which is all too familiar in real life). Henry becomes the star rookie of the team as the closer. And the Cubs start winning and begin to turn their season around. "Rookie of the Year" has alot of big laughs and a terrific cast. There are four memorable performances in this film. Thomas Ian Nicholas is wonderful as Henry. This actor has grown up since this film (he was most recently seen in the hit film "American Pie"), but he's in a role to remember; Gary Busey is also very good as the aging star pitcher known as 'The Rocket' who helps out Henry in certain spots; Albert Hall as the Cubs manager who repeatedly keeps mispronouncing Henry's last name in different formats; and Amy Morton, a Chicago stage actress, as Henry's mother Mary. Some of the most effective moments in the film are with the boy and his mom. Also there are hilarious smaller performances by Eddie Bracken as the Cubs owner; John Candy as the Cubs broadcast announcer; and Daniel Stern (who also directed) in the film's goofiest role as the dim-witted pitching coach. "Rookie of the Year" has the usual predictable sports ending, but since this film is so much fun, who cares. There is one obvious continuity error in the film. When they fly to L.A. to play the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, you can tell they're really playing at Comiskey Park, home of Chicago's other baseball team, the White Sox. You can tell just by that, that this film was shot entirely in Chicago. "Rookie of the Year" is a baseball winner in my book.

***1/2 (out of four)

Nice family movie with pretty good actors overall a good movie to watch with the kids

Sure, this movie is geared towards the younger generation, but I think that anybody can enjoy it, especially if you are a baseball fan. I don't know why people have criticized Rookie of the Year so much for being unrealistic. Duh! It's supposed to be fictional! What young kid hasn't dreamed of being a star player on a favorite pro sports team, and what Chicago Cubs fan hasn't wanted their team to go all the way? (Personally, I'm a Cleveland Indians fan, so I think you get my point.)

Yes, Daniel Stern puts in an embarrassing role as a clumsy pitching coach (now, fantasies aside, this clown wouldn't last 10 seconds as a major league coach!), and Thomas Ian Nicholas is OK in the title role but comes off as pretty annoying most of the time. I will say that Gary Busey was very good in this film as the veteran pitcher/father figure. A decent, passable sports flick.

For some reason, I get a kick out of movies like "Rookie of the Year." I guess the fact that so many young boys, myself included, fantasize about playing professional sports contributes to the popularity of this genre. I think Daniel Stern did a good job directing this movie because he doesn't ever let it become too kiddy and childish. Sure there are a lot of funny moments, but they can be funny to adults as well as children. The setting of this movie cannot be beat: Wrigley Field. It doesn't get any better than that. "Rookie of the Year" is a fun movie to watch with the family.

If you are unwilling to accept the basic premise of the film, that a child who has surgery on a broken arm is suddenly able to throw a pitch over 100 miles per hour, you aren't going to like this movie. I've been a baseball fan for 60 years and I know when a baseball movie is going to present an accurate portrayal of the game. If you read anything about this film and you are a purist, there are probably another ten movie to pick from this day. That said, this is a delightful film with a joyfulness that brings back memories of what it was like to be a mediocre baseball player, still hoping to be a major leaguer someday. The boy in this film is klutzy, so his entrance into a major league game is filled with fear and worry. There are good guys and bad guys, especially the father candidate. At some point, we know that reality will set in and, like "Damn Yankees," someone is going to have to face a real situation. This is just charming and fun. Enjoy it. It was never meant to be a documentary.