The Rookie film review

certificate_U

THE ROOKIE

Nobody does schmaltz quite like Disney, and The Rookie is classic old-fashioned family entertainment, complete with a hero who battles against adversity, adorable cherubic children, and a rousing feelgood finale designed to pluck your heartstrings to breaking point. What's more, the film is based on a life-affirming true story. That's got to be worth a few extra tears in the final 20 minutes.

As a boy, Jim Morris (Trevor Morgan) dreams of becoming a baseball player, achieving fame and glory in the Major League. Unfortunately, his father Jim Morris Sr (Brian Cox) is a high-ranking official in the US Navy, and his various postings demands that the family moves every few months from one town to the next. As a result, Jimmy never stays in one place long enough to forge any close friendships, or to make his mark on the little league. Eventually, serious injury robs him of his dream.

Some 30 years later, Jim (Dennis Quaid) now works as the baseball coach at Big Lake High School in western Texas. He has a beautiful wife, Lorri (Rachel Griffiths), and three children, including a precocious eight-year-old son Hunter (Angus T Jones). Jim has all but forgotten about his dreams of the past, and is content to provide for his family, and to live vicariously through his students.

Following a disastrous start to the school baseball season, Jim reluctantly makes a promise to his beleaguered captain 'Wack' Campos (Jay Hernandez): he will try out for the Major League, if the high school team wins the state championship.

Sure enough, the boys do Jim proud, and overturn a losing streak to secure the trophy. In return, Jim accepts an invitation to pitch for the Major League scouts.

However, juggling his duties as a father of three proves tricky, even with the support of his little ones. He also has to contend with Lorri's obvious worries that he might aggravate his old injury, and consequently jeopardise the family's entire future.

The Rookie takes every cliche in the sports movie almanac, and turns it into a home run, winning over the audience with a combination of good humour and wholesome morals. Thus we have the team of adolescent failures who are inspired to greatness by their idol coach, and emotional fireworks reuniting Jim with his estranged father.