Terza base

I'd switched on the TV because I couldn't sleep, and a film had just started. It was around 1am, and they don't usually show this kind of feel good movie around that time, so the film was very welcome.

I'd never seen James Edward Olmos in a film before this one, or I didn't remember him because I must have seen him in Bladerunner. So I didn't realise that he was such a decent actor. He's got such a common face, like a farmer, so this charismatic performance was surprising.

Anyway, it was a cute little film, and it is worth watching if you've got nothing better to do.

This movie is really low key throughout, slow with interesting characters (with the exception of the billionaire owner). Olmos steals the show as the scout, and Bracco is just wonderful as his significant other.

I found the movie compelling and captivating, more about character development than plot, and subtly and richly portrayed by the two most important members of the cast, Olmos and Bracco.

The climactic game and the ending are a bit disappointing, but still this movie ranks among my favorite sports films. One thing that really helps the movie is that Corbett has a believable motion and throws reasonably hard. The baseball scenes are pretty good. in large part because some of them were shot at actual big-league games and spliced in. That's better than having bad actors trying to play ball, I think.

I really enjoyed this film. It's formulaic, but the performances are excellent. I especially liked the actor who played Sammy Bodeen. He was brilliant. For real baseball fans it is fun to pick out the real professional ball players among the cast. Some of the television networks have begun to show this gem each spring as part of a kick-off to the major league baseball season and I look forward to seeing it each year. Seeing that guy who plays Bodeen is like seeing an old familiar friend. I highly recommend this film for little league coaches to show their teams. It's great for families and kids. My children love it and my wife does too.

Do not understand baseball. This is a gem. Yes the scenario where Sammy is exploited by the major lague team owner is a bit hokey - but.....don't let that ruin the great job that this movie does of capturing the feel of minor league baseball and the struggle, even the most talented have, to make it to the big leagues and succeed. And the longing of Virgil to catch a major league pitcher is conveyed perfectly by Edward James Almos - anyone who has the longing to play baseball but not quite enough talent will get the lump in their throat. Much the same as another flawed but good baseball movie - the Rookie.

I suppose I could be prejudiced in commenting on this movie, since I was a member of the cast ... however, my scene ended up on the cutting room floor (fairly typical) and since I was scared to death when I filmed it and was just shy of awful, I hope you'll cut me some slack! Edward James Olmos is good, Lorraine Bracco gave some zip to an otherwise marginal role. Using real-life location settings in my beautiful home state of Washington, as well as Cour D'Alene, Idaho, adds some spectacle and reality to what is, admittedly, a somewhat clichéd story. But then again, so is just about every other baseball movie I've seen, and yet I love 'em all. Perhaps the most cogent part of the story is the battle between corporate greed and the simple love of the sport, which Olmos portrays well. He is an excellent actor (and I'm happy he's found success with Battlestar Galactica.) This movie had a very limited theatrical release and was rushed to video shortly thereafter. If you really love baseball, and in particular if you dislike the way the sport (and many other sports, too) has been sullied by big bucks, I think you'll enjoy it. Oh, and Olmos was a real gentleman to the rest of the cast, something I'll always appreciate. You'll have to overlook plot devices (in that, it makes me think of "It Happens Every Spring") and you won't have the awe-making spectacle of "Field of Dreams." What you get is a mostly realistic depiction of the sport, and the hope that beats eternal that another "phenom" is about to make an appearance.