The Hill

I thought I would like it since it has Dennis Quaid. I actually loved the movie. It's so refreshing to see a realistic movie with good actors and no CG. I thought the story line was interesting and I didn't even realize the movie was over two hours! I'm not usually in for a long movie but this one kept my interest. I just really like Dennis Quaid is this type of role. He was excellent and all the actors were great in their roles. If a movie is going to have a sport in the background I prefer it to be baseball because that's the only sport I like at all. I just loved the character "'Red" and whoever played him was so entertaining. Im 55 and that's how I remember old men acting and comporting themselves when I was a child in the 70s. I enjoyed that the historical setting was quite accurate. I saw some things that were off a little but overall it was excellent.

Prepare for a preachy dose of diabetic coma, but the movie is quite watchable. I think it was unintentional, but it also tells the story of his hypocrite father. Dad had no qualms in following his calling to the detriment of his family but did all he could to deny that opportunity to his son. It's always enjoyable to see the story of someone I never knew existed, and this guy was in that category. The movie could have done with a little more salt and less sugar, as it lands right in the genre of a "Hallmark Christmas movie". But if Rickey Hill had as much input as I've read, then I guess that's what he wanted.

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.

There are so many cute moments in this movie. I had mistakenly chalked it up to "just a faith-based film" before watching it, since the trailer made it seem like it was one of those true stories of a young kid keeping his faith strong despite massive hardships. When I watched it, however, I was seriously impressed. Yes, the main family is a religious one, and the patriarch Dennis Quaid is a pastor, but it's not really a religious movie. The religious community will love it, but so will anyone else who watches it. From the interesting story to the compelling characters, strong acting, and thoughtful direction, it's a very good movie.

The story revolves around a boy who wears braces on his legs but dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. His father, Dennis, would prefer he stop dreaming and embrace reality, but Jesse Barry (and later Colin Ford) just can't stop practicing, despite his handicap. Although Jesse and Colin give strong performances, Dennis absolutely steals the show. He doesn't play his character as a one-dimensional "disapproving father" or a one-dimensional "pastor who ignores his family". There's nothing one-dimensional about him, and you feel that you know him even when the script hasn't fleshed out his backstory. When Dennis finds out his son can walk without his braces, he cries with joy. His children scrimp and save their pennies to buy him a celebratory hamburger, and he turns what could have been a ridiculously corny moment into seriously fine acting. Later, when Dennis can't afford Colin's medical treatment, a collection basket gets passed around the church. He stands at the pulpit with a forced smile on his face as he watches his neighbors give him money. He's humiliated, ashamed, grateful, humbled, and terribly sorry that his son has to endure such suffering.

If you're in the mood for a more wholesome movie than what Hollywood usually produces these days, you don't have many choices. You've probably turned into the type of person who says, "I'm not a movie person," if others ask what you've watched lately. As a film critic, I can't believe I've given that response. Just as with the demise of the Hays Code in the late 1950s, there has been a distinct shift in the type of film being made over the past several years. I enjoy watching good quality movies with an inspiring and wholesome message, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Hill.

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.