The Final Season

There are a lot of harsh reviews on this film, and it is puzzling. Sure the film has a formula feel to it, but considering how it is based on a true story, how could it not follow the standard underdog formula? The film caught the flavor of the David and Goliath aspect from many points. Small town school wins consistently against larger schools at the state champ level, second choice coach filling shoes of veteran favorite coach, town versus state politics, and the list goes on. The movie is entertaining and inspiring--look for those moments. Iowa and baseball go together and the movie captures the importance of baseball to a small town like Norway, Iowa. Sean Astin gives a likable performance as coach Kent Scott. Form your opinion and don't be swayed by the negative reviews. The baseball scenes are worth the watch all in their own.

The story of a small town high school baseball team in the school's last year. The school, against the wishes of the towns people will be closed and the students transferred to another town's larger school. Sean Austin looking and acting like Vic Morrow has to pull together the depressed, fragmented team. The whole cast contributes. The focus is on the baseball team but it gives a nice picture of life in a small farming community. Tom Arnold is really effective in a small role. This shows what can be done with a small budget and no special effects. I will definitely buy this when it comes out on DVD.

The movie has the climax in the big state championship game. The fact that a town with 500+ people could have a high school state champion baseball team once is something but this one had 19. The opposing teams pitcher was unbeaten in the regular season. The person playing the pitcher was excellent. He just had one line but the expressions and body language was very effective. I liked it quite a lot.

I am sorry to say that I never saw this advertised and I think there was 3 other people in theater. The only reason I saw it was because I had a free pass and the movies I really wanted to see weren't accepting passes yet. After the movie I felt like going back and giving them the $8. It's a good movie but due to either no big stars or no money for advertising most people will never hear of it.

"The Final Season" is a good respite from the usual Hollywood fare of action/violence, bad comedy, super heroes, mobsters, commercialism, and endless sexual innuendo. Yeah, it might be a little hokey or sentimental, but this seems pretty insignificant given the movie's restraint and its quietly low key approach to life in rural Iowa.

One thing for sure, Norway High School's baseball team, representing a town of 500 people, which won 20 1A class championships over period of about 30 years, and sent several players to the majors, does deserve a big time movie. "The Final Season" covers the final two years of the high school's existence, the team's last hurrah, and town's substantial loss.

Above all, it emphasizes Norway's incredible baseball players, played very convincingly by real teenage athletes, who not only truly look the part, but can play the game. Their infielders are nothing short of modern dancers--and almost as bony. Michael Angarano who plays Mitch Akers is a real standout, moving and original--but so in a way, is the team itself, and their two unpretentious coaches (one of historic dimension).

The school merger theme is also effective. The rousing school board meetings, the reliable relationships, the bonds between coaches and fans, the old homogeneous way of life, are all palpable to the viewer. And as the film goes on and democracy wanes so the collateral damage of NHS's demise becomes apparent in the disposability of the town, its culture & traditions, and most of all in its famed ball players and coaches.

I just saw it tonight at a sneak preview in Baltimore and it was great. I borrowed my best friend's husband as my date since he's into baseball and she's not. I expected it to be okay but schmaltzy and was pleasantly surprised. It never got too hokey, the humor was great and every character "popped" from the bald reporter (Larry Miller) to the bat boy who got laughs every time just by nodding his head. The grandparents were especially cute the way they picked on each other. I think my favorite part was seeing the pastor with a "doo rag" on his head as a disguise. The performances were uniformly excellent. Sean Astin was great as usual and Michael Angarano has really grown into quite the performer. Highly recommended.

This is one of the best baseball movies I have ever seen. It is not only very inspirational but heartwarming and asks a very personal question that we must all answer-"what do you want to be remembered for."

Kent Stock takes a very difficult situation of having to motivate the players of Norway High School with them facing their final season of the baseball program, let alone, the final year of their high school ever existing again, and motivates his players to play up to their best potential in capturing an astounding record 20th state championship in Iowa baseball.

This movie should be shown to every high school baseball team whether they be a large, medium, or small school, as well as shown to every coach, no matter what level of athletes they coach.