The Hill

This movie will take you back in time and pull at your heartstrings the whole time. I thought this movie was so well acted and directed. Love movies that are based on real life events. It makes it much more relatable. I also saw Gran Tarismo which ironically had similar themes, young men chasing dreams that are seemingly impossible and without the needed support of their fathers. While Gran Turismo was a fantastic action movie and a lot of fun to watch, it lacked the spiritual element of The Hill. And dreams die eventually, and what are we left with? The character of Ricky Hill to me was the driving force and the lovable part of this film. The way he respects and wants to honor his dad and their beliefs is so touching and rare. That's what I loved about this film.

The Hill hits home (no pun intended) if you grew up in a smaller town. Growing up in the bible belt, I understand that strict, moral parental values are hard to let go of when children want to walk a different path in life.

Rickey Hill and his Father rarely see eye to eye - the conflict of baseball, faith, and their relationship can't seem to coexist. Rickey see's his skills at bat as a gift while his father sees it as a surefire way that he will be crippled forever. It's tough love verses stubbornness on his father's behalf as Rickey time and time again proves that he can fulfill his dream.

It's a rarity these days that we see such a gritty & real father/son relationship on screen and from the first scene, you're rooting for the two to salvage a bond together. Dennis Quaid and Colin Ford have great chemistry and you really believe their father and son dynamic. The child actors playing the younger version of the characters did a great job as well and the time period (late 60s/early 70s) makes for a perfect, All-American setting.

"October Sky" meets "The Natural". A winning baseball movie for the whole family.

Usually Christian drama flicks like this get extremely bogged down with heavy-handed prioritisation of their messaging over their stories, technical craft, and characters.

While The Hill does sometimes get preachy and sometimes is held back by corny dialogue or poor supporting actors, it excels because it gives thought and care to the important elements of filmmaking.

It's gorgeously shot on film and sensitively directed, always visually emphasising its characters' psychology to great effect. And the script avoids succumbing too much to sports drama cliches by always keeping the focus on personal triumph over merely winning the game. It's a human story in the shell of a Christian sports film.

And these humans are brought wonderfully to life by these actors. Aside from a handful of poor supporting cast members, the leads really kill it-even the child actors.

Dennis Quaid is the obvious standout, bringing so much life and emotion to his character that isn't necessarily on the page. His character's arc is the soul of this movie, and if there were any justice in the industry, Quaid would be in serious consideration for awards next year.

Long live baseball, and long live Dennis Quaid.

This is an inspirational true story movie. It's very well acted. I highly recommend it. Since it's PG you can take your children with you without worrying about R-rated graphic scenes. What a relief.

The audience was applauding at the end, with good reason.

Rickey's father is shown transitioning from a good father to a great father. The father wants what's best for Rickey but makes mistakes. The father is willing to acknowledge his mistakes both to himself and publicly. It's a faith-based movie. G-d rescues the family and gives them a house and a job as a pastor for the father.

We have a home run here!

The Netflix pre-trailer portrays a very different story than the one you are given. It certainly is not the traditional sports film. That is not to say all of the movie is bad, there are in fact some scenes that are high quality and will move your heart. The issue is that there is too much filler that doesn't quite develop the characters enough. Some of the scenes between the child and his father just don't quite deliver the impact needed , the scenes are too raw and I'm not sure whether it was the acting or the script but I definitely needed more. I believe it would have made the story more powerful if more attention was given to digging deeper into the boys relationship with his father outside of just the fact that his dad wanted him to be a clergyman instead of a baseball player . There was a point for me where I just wanted more meaningful heartfelt dialogue between them which would have made the ending so much more rewarding in my opinion. It could have better established the father in particulars growth as a character.

Still ithe movie was a worthwhile watch . Had the potential to be spectacular , but lacked in too many ways making it just ok.