The Scout

BRENDAN FRASER seems to specialize in playing dumb--or at least that's the impression I had after watching him emote as a child-like baseball player who happens to have a great pitching arm in THE SCOUT. He does get laughs with his dumb act, so I suppose that's why he was chosen for this particular role.

But most of the laughs come from the fact that ALBERT BROOKS is his co-star, a man who can say a funny line without ever giving a hint that he thinks it's funny. And sometimes, the result is hilarious--particularly in the "knife" scene in which Brooks is trying to hide all his kitchen knives from Fraser who "wants to cut something".

None of the humor is particularly subtle, but DIANNE WIEST is a welcome addition as Dr. Aarons, the psychiatrist who determines that Fraser might have his dangerous moments after subjecting him to a series of tests with photos. But the baseball scenes at the finish are too over-the-top, straining credulity to the limits.

The Tony Bennett nightclub sequence is also guaranteed to have you squirming in discomfort as Fraser sings an off-key version of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", much to Bennett's chagrin.

Summing up: With a wittier script and a different approach, could have been a very winning comedy.

I like good baseball movies - the Natural, Field of Dreams, the Sandlot, Pride of the Yankees, etc. But I hate this movie because I can't tell if this is supposed to be a comedy or a drama. It seems like neither. Also, the baseball scout, played by Albert Brooks, seems more out of touch with reality than the troubled Brendan Fraser character. I can't stand Brooks in this movie. i am usually more of a glass-half-full type of person when I evaluate movies, but I can't believe some of the favorable comments for The Scout. You have to be kidding? I can't believe that Bob Costas and Tim McCarver, both with well-respected baseball reputations, would agree to be part of the absurd ending. I know it's a movie, but as someone who loves baseball, the final scene is a complete insult to the game...and the movie business.

Al (Albert Brooks) is, at the moment, a hapless scout for the New York Yankees. His last sure thing pitcher tossed his cookies on the mound in front of the huge crowd, just before he bolted for the turnpike. Al is sent to Mexico this time and not in any known territory. Unbelievably, in the Mexican hinterland, an American named Steve Nebraska is just waiting for Al to discover him. And, what a discovery! Steve can pitch at 106 miles an hour and hit a baseball over 600 feet, even if he is a bit weird. Al brings Steve back to NY and the Yankees, most impressed, sign him on one condition. Nebraska must pass a psychological examination! Can he do it? Will the shrink dandily named H. Aaron help? The premise of this movie, along with Albert Brooks' fine performance, are enough to sustain this movie to the end. Fraser, also, does another fine turn as the freaky kid on the block. But, one can not help but say what if. There are several loose ends that just never get tied and the result is a good movie but not a great one. Bull Durham, Major League, and It Happens Every Spring, now these are fine baseball movies. This one just doesn't measure up. Still, if you are a baseball movie fan, you will want to see this one, sure. This film is loaded with good ideas that are worth exploring and jabbering about. Stock up on hotdogs and colas and invite the baseball buddies over for a screening.

Albert Brooks stars as a down on his luck desperate baseball scout who finds a golden arm (Brendan Fraser) while in Mexico. Unfortunately he is a little bit eccentric. Has some good bits dealing with the fish out of water plot but overall it doesnt build up any steam and just kind of fizzles itself away.. on a scale of one to ten.. 5

Really The Scout is a sort of dumb comedy, but that can be good. It is rather silly and that is the point. It's plot is implausible. The plot twists are odd and somewhat predictable. But I liked it and watched it more than once. So don't write it off because it doesn't fall into what the ideal of a baseball movie should be. If you write it off do it because it does not live up to its cheesy comedy roots, and frankly it odes that. If I had a VCR here I'd be running out to the Blockbuster now.