The Road Home

I was going to give this a 4 but it gets a 10. Its hilarious! I got a feeling Drew Johnson (who starred, wrote and directed this film) is a big baseball fan. Assuming this is true, he should know better than this. I understand this is a chick-flick but to appeal to the male audience there needs to be some accuracy here. This movie is definitely not BULL DURHAM. PITCHER AND THE PINUP falls flat. Everything with baseball in this movie made me laugh. The sports clichés, stadium inaccuracies, and actors who don't look like ball-players make thishilarious. Among the the absurd highlights: -- "But coach, (I can't play third) I've pitched EVERY GAME this year!" -- The gypsy/scout who foretells the future with his deck of cards. -- The can't miss Major Leaguer who can't hit balls thrown at a speed meant for a 4-yr-old with a giant plastic red bat until he learns a poem to help him with his hitting. -- The star going AWOL for two weeks and being allowed back by a sympathetic manager because of a "woman." -- The best friend being offered a contract and a spot on the team after the manager sees him playing catch. No hitting, No workout, No interview. Just catch. -- "Congratulations on your 15 strikeouts and your 4 for 4 with a home run."

Basically, this movie is absurd, yet hilarious. You will only like this movie of you are female. If you are a real guy you will fine this funny.

My other gripes: -- Borrowed love story of Forrest Gump -- Why in the world was she always saying "I love this country?" Was she an immigrant? I guess so because she grew up in Vegas. -- Flashback overload. Enough of the Star Wars and Farrah Fawcett Tshirts. Also, if you use historical events to timeframe, use something astronomical, not the obscure highjacking of a cruise ship. My favorite timeframe placing was when one character goes, "Man, it is 1988!"

In the end, this movie HILARIOUS. Cheesy lines, bad casting, horrible acting, and inaccuracies ... Great for a laugh, I'm buying the DVD!

The difficulties of making a first film were apparently wiped away as Drew Johnson helmed this great story of a college baseball player and his quest for love. Watching this film was shocking as I thought about the fact that this was Johnson's first feature film. Johnson claims that he was blessed all the way during the process, and one couldn't agree more; blessed with a great story, an amazingly talented Director of Photography, darn good acting, and a soundtrack that slips under your skin and makes you teary-eyed more than once.

However, the film is difficult to enjoy due to poor writing. Although the characters are fleshed out well, exposition is done poorly. The key to this comes from the tiring narration and pointless flashbacks that should often be avoided by first timers. This becomes a crutch and an easy way out of dealing with backstory problems. And the constant clues as to time and place were redundant and forced. This is a timeless story that works too hard to be a period film, specifically placed in the late 70s to 90s. Dialogue was chock full of clichés that provoked pathetic, unwarranted laughter from audience members.

As hard as it becomes to watch, I couldn't help but still marvel at how well the final outcome was, especially for a first film. Cinematographer Doug Glover did an amazing job, creating some beautiful scenes with his long lenses and short depths of field. He has come out of film school with all the skills of a fine DP, one that I shall keep my eye on. And Johnson managed to tackle a difficult task of directing and staring in this film. The small flaws in the film might have been avoided had Johnson focused his talent. Yet you can't ding these newcomers for doing a sub-perfect job. The final product was done right, and I can't help but appreciate the fact that these guys did it. They wrestled with themselves and the odds, and got a very nice film made. I have no doubt that Drew Johnson will make another film, one where he can polish what he accomplished here. As close as this subject was to Johnson, it might prove difficult to find other subjects. However, I for one am looking forward to what the future holds for these talented young filmmakers.

A fine baseball film, a fine love story, and a great film for those who are interested in charting the rise of new talent in Hollywood. If you strive for a love story, watch this film for two reasons. Enjoy the onscreen love story, and relish in the off-screen love that Johnson clearly has for his film.

This coming-of-age, romance, baseball story has every smaltzy, sentimental, semi-mental, feel bad, feel good cliche that ever graced a 50's big studio or Disney flick. There isn't one original scene, situation, or piece of dialogue in the whole movie. To make it worse, every point made on the screen is hammered home immediately afterward by having a character tell us what we just saw. The acting is nearly as bad as the screenplay. How is 104 minutes of unlikeable characters whining, crying, and refusing to act with any intelligence supposed to entertain or enlighten us?

I thought they didn't make them like this any more; unfortunately, sometimes they still do. If "The Natural" is a home run into the light towers, then "The Road Home" is a dribbler to first base.

The Road Home is a delightful coming of age film that has just the right mixture of romance and baseball. What an accomplishment for this first time director! The cinematography was beautiful and the original score is something the behold. I think we can expect a lot more from Drew Johnson and his crew in the years to come.

This is a film with heart, and the whole audience really liked it. It's an enjoyable story set in Las Vegas which talks about baseball and love. Good interracial casting, and some fun performances. Beautiful cinematography too!