Mickey

As a former Little League dad and Little League coach, I was curious about the movie, particularly because part of it was filmed in our home town. So I admit to a little bias when I see some people I know in the movie.

That notwithstanding, I very much enjoyed it. The producers decided to cast baseball players and teach them to act, rather than trying to teach actors to play baseball. The baseball sequences are well done, and very realistic to Little League experience.

I was wondering how they were going to deal with the basic problem of making a feel-good ending out of a pretty lousy set of circumstances, and I really thought they did it well.

I suspect that it will not get great reviews -- there is not a lot of complexity and brooding and foreboding, no sex, violence or cursing, etc.

It's a little like "The Mighty Ducks"; the fact pattern is believable if improbable, kids mature and succeed, parent makes a good connection with a love interest, and by the end you like the characters and you care what happens to them.

Good summer flick.

I had the opportunity to listen to John Grisham in Ottawa Ontario, Canada in April 2001 discuss his upcoming project "Mickey". Now, in April 2004 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, I was able to see the movie and again listen to John Grisham at a private screening along with the Director Hugh Wilson. "Mickey" was well worth waiting for.

Using Little League Baseball as a background, the Plot centers on a father/son relationship and the difficult choices they have to make. The drive of "Mickey" is focused on the choices made by the Father (Harry Connick Jr.) and how they affect not only his son, but the lives of the team his son plays for.

This is not a "Hollywood" movie. It is far superior to the high tech improbable entertainment that "Hollywood" churns out these days.

Hugh Wilson deftly guides this fine character study that came from the heart of writer John Grisham. Harry Connick Jr. gives his best performance to date (Deserving a nod for Best Actor) and is aided by the fine supporting cast. Mike Starr, as the coach, is one of those character actors ala Jack Elam, Harry Dean Stanton, Kevin Pollock....who you recognize, but just can't remember the name to go with the face, is deserving of a nomination for Best Supporting Actor as he pulls out terrific performance by 1st timer Shawn Salinas (Mickey) and Harry Connick Jr. Michelle Johnson (Blame it on Rio) also contributes to the angst displayed by HCJ.

This is a fine family movie to be enjoyed by all.

I recently bought this, mostly because of my liking of the Little League World Series. After watching it, even if i didn't love the LLWS, I would have recommended it anyway. I loved how authentic they made the games feel. They used same uniforms, stadiums, even announcers in Brent Musberger and Harold Reynolds. They even used some of the same teams as in the 2001 series. The only thing about the movie I was a little confused over was the punishment the teams received. In the 2001 Little League World Series, a team from New York used an ineligible player. The team was stripped of all awards and games won during all-stars. These teams were only stripped of their most recent wins. They probably could have had a more realistic sentence, but I really loved this movie anyway.

I decided to take in this film primarily because it showcases the premier event of my hometown, by virtue of which has allowed me its access. I went in with few expectations, and left feeling quite satisfied. This film certainly ventures from the typical Hollywood fluff one might expect from a movie featuring Little League Baseball, casting a dark aura about an event cherished for its purity. Some off-beat humor slips in from time to time, as well as some stunning contrast of emotion rarely seen in mainstream films. I also paid attention to many of the details, given that I spent my childhood late Augusts watching the games at Lamade Stadium. I will say I would have loved to see in some of the shots children sliding down the upper hill behind Lamade on pieces of cardboard boxes, which has become a trademark of Little League Baseball ambiance, but I understand the absence. All in all, good viewing, and a shame that this film will likely pass into relative obscurity.

I saw Mickey with my wife and our two sons who, while past their little league days, at 15 and 17 are still close enough to have distinct memories of the experience. I thought the movie itself was watchable, but not much more than that...too many innings of baseball that had me squirming like I was sitting on a hard bleacher bench.

What I really liked was the conversation it stimulated over dinner afterwards. Was the con justified in any way? What's the right way to pick a rec team? Would Mickey's teammates really have behaved the way they did post-revelation? Does our government run on back room deals? Not too many flicks, books or news get as much airing in our family. For that, and that alone, I appreciated Mickey.