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THE ROOKIE Send This Review to a Friend
Every so often a family-style movie without pretense to high art but with unabashed G-rated sensibility turns up to please audiences who don't worry about being manipulated and are content to let a director and writer push the required buttons to bring a tear or two and provide an uplifting ending. "The Rookie," written by Mike Rich and directed by John Lee Hancock, is just such a movie. The well-honed, heartwarming message is follow your dreams and you just might succeed.
The film, based on a real-life story, stars Dennis Quaid as baseball player Jim Morris, who, at an age when most ball players are about ready to retire, realizes his dream of making it into a major league on the strength of his ability to throw fastballs at 98 miles an hour. Quaid plays him with plenty of heart and a passion that trumps his nagging second thoughts about opportunity versus family responsibility.
All the sugar-coated ingredients are present--a loving wife who overcomes doubts to give Morris support, a young son who dotes on his dad and hopes he'll make the grade, a father whom he could never please, rooting players from the team Morris coached--you name it. It's a strong role for Quaid, and his wife is played by versatile Rachel Griffiths, who brings a glow to the part.
The director gives us plenty of baseball atmosphere, and the film drips with sincerity and revels in spirit. "The Rookie" is that kind of entertainment. And will anyone have the slightest doubt that in Morris's moment of triumph his dad will be there to congratulate him? A Disney Pictures release.
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