My review was written in May 1989 after watching the movie on Prism video cassette.
"Chasing Dreams" is a lackluster attempt at an inspirational film, notable only for a brief cameo appearance in yet another baseball-themed movie by the reigning genre king, Kevin Costner.
Lensed in 1981, pic gets a belated home video release primarily because of Costner's fleeting presence on screen.
Young David G. Brown toplines and penned this lame tale of a junior college freshman who had taken a year off after high school "to find himself" and now is attracted to baseball, favorite sport of his wheelchair-ridden, ailing younger brother Ben (Matthew Clark).
Though college coach John Fife quickly befriends Brown, artificial plot device has his dad forcing the "unmotivated" yo9uth to devote all his free time to farm chores. Getting little sleep, he devotes himself to baseball practice on the sly as well and predictably becomes the team hero. Final reel creaks with ridiculous melodramatic gimmicks (sudden death of cute little Ben while Brown is away on a pro scout visit Borwn's sudden catatonia when beaned in a championship game) and hokey sentimental finish.
Production and most of the cast is at best semi-pro. Costner's easygoing manner and delivery is as confident and developed here as in "Field of Dreams".
With others tyet to be released (including New World's 1983 Canadian pic "The Gunrunner", Costner has more movie marginalia in his past than virtually any toher contemporary star. In this one his role is limited to giving the hero (his younger brother) a peptalk in opening scene on his way to medical school. Cast talks a lot about him but unfortunately for the filmmakers Costner never shows up again.
