The Phenom

I watched this movie because it's a baseball movie, and because Paul Giamatti is in it. Script? Sorry to report this, but the writing is BAD. The script--- the words these actors are forced to say as the camera rolls---are not believable. They don't sound like things real people in real life would say. And there's too many of them. Way too many. Result? BORING. Where's some action? ANY action? The baseball scenes add up to about 90 seconds total. Ethan Hawke's character? The mean father? So over the top it is, again, completely unconvincing and irritating. And there's no ending, really. Whoever wrote this....ughh. To pour salt in the wound, the soundtrack sucked. You don't have a noisy rock song with LOUD SINGING playing under a major speech from one of the characters. There should be an instrumental, or no music at all, as the character is screaming at another character. So to sum it up in one word, "The Phenom" is a PHLOP.

I probably wouldn't have lasted through this - had one of my favourite AFL players not recently retired at just age 23, citing mental health issues. There are definitely some parallels here.

Beyond that, "The Phenom" is a frustrating film to watch.

Ethan Hawke successfully portrays one of the most unlikeable guys I've seen on film in ages.

Paul Giamatti also puts in a great performance as a sports psychologist. The back and forward emotional banter between Giamatti and Simmons is in a very similar vein to that of Damon and Williams in "Good Will Hunting" - just without the Oscar-worthiness.

Johnny Simmons is convincing as the somewhat of an asshole but emotionally vulnerable sports star.

None of it seemed to tie together though and the film just went nowhere. It never succeeded as anything more than being a fly-on-the-wall look at a young talented sportsman with emotional difficulties. I also agree with many other viewers, that found the ending abrupt and poorly written.

This film tells the story of a young baseball player in high school, who loses his pitch and hence worries about his potential future as a professional player. He enlists a sports psychologist to help him through the difficult times.

I had no idea what the film before watching the film, as the title doesn't give anything away. Honestly, I have no idea what the film is about after watching it either. The beginning looks promising, as the door psychologist talks with the young athlete. Then, it gets downhill and have no clear focus. I don't know whether it wants to talk about the father, the psychologist or what. I get so lost in the half developed plot, where subplots are underdeveloped. And the ending is so abrupt that the story is literally unfinished. I regret having watched this film because I think I wasted my time.

It was an alright movie for the most part, but when it was over I sat up in bed and said "Is that it"? I guess this is one of those movies that you just have to decide what happens to the characters when it's all over.

There are certain scenes that just felt very out of place and a few different parts of the story that didn't get fully fleshed out. Towards the end of the movie, I thought the movie was finally building up to a climax but it turned out to just be the end of the movie.

One thing I did like about the movie though, was that there were some very beautiful scenes and shots. Good camera-work and use of color, but the writing couldn't keep up with the directing.

If you're into baseball, are a huge sports enthusiast, or like movies without an ending, then this film may be for you. Otherwise, your time might be better spent elsewhere.

This is a strong character study. I really enjoyed it, but it is not a sports movie, at least not what one thinks of a typical sports movie. Strong acting throughout elevate this from being a pretty run of the mill character study. I really enjoyed hating the Ethan Hawke character. At times I thought the character was slightly over the top, but I still liked it. Worth watching. Just a word of warning, if sports movies are your favorite genre, you may want to reset your expectations a bit before watching. You will probably enjoy it more.