It's
never too late to believe in your dreams.
"The Rookie"
marks a comeback of sorts for actor Dennis Quaid.
Quaid, who in the past few years has spent more
time making sub-par films and tabloid
appearances, finally gets back to displaying his
easygoing, nice guy persona onscreen and it pays
off with a film that never quite hits a home
run, but easily makes it to third base.
"The Rookie" is based upon the true story of
Jimmy Morris, a one-time big league hopeful who
walked away from it all because of family
obligations and semi-contentedly finds himself
coaching and teaching in Big Lake, Texas. One
day, he makes a deal with his struggling
team...make it to the state championships and he
will try out for the big leagues.
It's not too hard to guess where the film is
going, as his inspired team makes it all the way
and Morris finds himself trying out for and
making it on the roster of the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays as the "oldest rookie."
Quaid's performance here is a winning one,
combining family loyalty, quiet determination,
and self-deprecation. It's not a tremendous
stretch for Quaid, but it's still a performance
we haven't seen in quite some time.
Director John Lee Hancock does a nice job here
relaxing the cast and building the human
dynamics as Morris goes from insecure rookie to
overnight success. Hancock, in his directorial
debut, hasn't quite grasped the concept of
pacing or building the tension, but he manages
the action well enough to keep the film
constantly entertaining.
In the follow-up to his widely respected script
for "Finding Forrester," Mike Rich seems born to
write Disney scripts with his ability to create
characters that are heartwarming yet possess
enough flaws that one can easily identify with
them.
The supporting cast is equally as attractive
including Rachel Griffiths as Jimmy's wife,
Angus Jones as his son (Jones won a Young Artist
Award for his performance here), and the likes
of Jay Hernandez and Brian Cox in supporting
roles. Morris himself shows up in a brief cameo
as an umpire.
Sometimes, it feels like Disney seems morally
and contractually bound to come out with a "rah
rah" heart-wrenching movie of the week, month,
or year. "The Rookie" is one of the best of
these films, because it combines an authentic
humanity, inspirational story, and wonderful
spirit to create a film that will warm your
heart even as your head is going "I'm being
totally manipulated here."
Welcome back to the cinematic big leagues,
Dennis Quaid, we've missed you!
© Written by
Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
