‘The Rookie’

Dennis Quaid shines in this heartwarming baseball story.   [G]

By: Kam Williams
   There was a time when the Walt Disney name was synonymous with kid-friendly films, the kind long on positive messages and short on profanity, sex or gratuitous violence. Over the years, however, the company has capitulated to the pressures of competition with coarser fare such as Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and 10 Things I Hate About You.
   Every now and then, Disney returns to its founder’s squeaky-clean formula. The Rookie is an old-fashioned throwback chronicling the against-all-odds struggle of a 35-year-old pitcher trying to make it the Majors.
   This heartwarming tale recounts the real-life triumph of Jim Morris, a hard-throwing left-hander from Texas whose promising career was cut short in 1986 by a seemingly catastrophic shoulder injury. Morris settled for the unsatisfactory alternative of teaching high school chemistry and coaching the baseball team, but never relinquished his big-league dreams. In 1999, when he discovered that his fastball clocked in at 98 mph on the radar gun, Morris decided to take another shot at his lifelong dream, making the most of a tryout with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Dennis Quaid fulfills an unlikely Major League dream in The Rookie.

   The Rookie, which marks the sophomore effort of director John Lee Hancock (Hard Time Romance), rests on a skillfully crafted script by Mike Rich, whose only other screenplay was the equally endearing Finding Forrester. Though appropriately aimed at the under-10 set, the salient lessons about love, loyalty and perseverance might also entertain the less cynical segments of the general audience.
   The film stars Dennis Quaid, who has aged gracefully into a favorite father figure with memorable, moving performances in Frequency and a remake of The Parent Trap. The latter-day Fred MacMurray delivers in a role that has him walk an awkward line between irresponsible narcissist and doting dad.
   How do you sympathetically portray a middle-aged Peter Pan who leaves his family behind to pursue a childhood fantasy? Mike Rich answers that question by lacing the dialogue with Zen-like proverbs. The characters are supposed to be buoyed by corny koans spouted along the enlightened path to the big leagues such as, "It’s OK to think about what you want to do, until it’s time to start doing what you were meant to do."
   This strategy works because Oscar-nominee Rachel Griffiths does such a convincing job as Lorrie, Jim’s supportive spouse. Child star Angus T. Jones is perfunctorily precocious as his young son, who is all too understanding when his daddy’s pipe dream is suddenly more important than anything else.
   The film was shot entirely in the dusty desert environs of Texas, capturing a sandy quality that befits baseball. If it weren’t for the endless prominent product placement, I might have been swept up in the melodrama of the moment when Morris finally makes it to the Majors. But that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy this fine family feature.
Rated G. Suitable for all audiences.