The Rookie Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)April 1st, 2002
THE ROOKIE (2002) 3 stars out of 4. Starring Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griiffiths, Brian Cox, Beth Grant, Jay Hernandez, Royce D. Applegate, Taylor Ball, Rick Gonzalez and David Blackwell. Written by Mike Rich. Directed by John Lee Hancock. Rated G. Approx. 129 mins.
Try this analogy: If the baseball bio-pic genre was a major league team, it would be the 1962 Mets, which won only 40 games while losing 120.
Name more than two or three memorable baseball biographies. Pride of the Yankees. The Stratton Story. Then what?
The Winning Team with Ronald Reagan squinting and looking dizzy as he portrays pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander?
Fear Strikes Out with Anthony Perkins, throwing like a girl, auditioning for the Norman Bates role in Psycho?
The Pride of St. Louis with a hammy and most unathletic Dan Dailey trying to capture the charisma of Dizzy Dean?
Cobb, in which Tommy Lee Jones, overacts outrageously as an elderly, bitter and bigoted Ty Cobb?
William Bendix then John Goodman hamming it up in inaccurate life stories of Babe Ruth?
That's a cinematic baseball hall of shame for you.
And when you really analyze it, Pride of the Yankees was more a love story between Lou Gehrig and his wife, Eleanor, than it was about baseball.
Ergo, most baseball biographies can be classified as foul balls.
But now comes The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid. And, yes, it features some of the clichés that abound in this genre: The determined individual who initially must go it alone, the sullen son continually striving for his aloof father's approval, and the athlete who must overcome the odds to prove himself.
The reason The Rookie succeeds where most of the others fail is because it is not a story about a superstar or a larger-than-life athlete.
Jim Morris' dream since childhood was to pitch in the major leagues. But a shoulder injury derailed his dream and, in his mid-30s, Morris finds himself teaching science and coaching the high school baseball team in a small Texas town.
But Morris still secretly yearns to fulfill his desire. To inspire his players, he agrees to a wager: If his team wins its district championship, Morris, whose shoulder has healed and who can now throw a ball at close to 98 mph, will make another stab at the majors.
His team is victorious, and Morris attends a tryout held by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays who, impressed with his speed, sign him.
Finally, at a time when most major leaguers are contemplating retirement, Jim Morris stands on the mound at The Ballpark at Arlington, Texas, pitching for the Devil Rays.
The Rookie, rated G, is a true family movie, not too sentimental or schmaltzy, with just enough grit to hold the attention of adults as well as youngsters. It is an inspirational drama featuring an earnest performance by Dennis Quaid as Morris.
Quaid may be a tad too old to portray Morris, but the actor is in fine shape and does a credible job on the mound.
Rachel Griffiths is warm and understanding as Morris' supportive wife, while Brian Cox adds a solid performance as Morris' military father whose aloofness and rigidity kept his son at arm's length.
Morris only pitched a couple of years in the majors before calling it quits and returning to teaching. But the fact that he accomplished what he set out to do, despite all the naysayers, is what makes The Rookie such a wonderful outing.
Morris may not have set any major league records nor make much of an impact on the game, but his persistence and perseverance are a testament to the athletic spirit.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found by going to www.jconline.com and clicking on golafayette.
Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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