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| Hardball |
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  (5/10)
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Runtime: 102 |
| Public Rating: 9.00 (9 votes) |
Director: Brian Robbins |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Drama |
Year: 2001 |
| Writer(s): John Gatins |
| Reviewed by: Liz |
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Keanu Reeves as a life-wasting gambling junkie. A bunch of kids in need of guidance, despite their very caring parents and teacher. The Chi-Town ghetto. Some baseballs. Put them together -- you get a decent movie. Add a little cheese and you get "Hardball."
Certainly, the story is interesting: To partially drag himself out of gambling debt, a man in trouble takes a position coaching a back-lot baseball team. He ends up getting some soul-saving as he begins to care for the underprivileged kids. They stay off the streets after school. They have some fun with a Notorious B.I.G. song. The kids find a role-model and the man finds a reason to get cleaned up. Then the ghetto life rears its ugly head . . .
The movie is based on a true story and, no doubt, the filmmakers wanted to include as many elements of that reality as they could. However, they leave some major portions undigested, or completely forget them in the kitchen. When does the coach start helping the kids with their school work? Does anybody help the former baseball-team member who joins a gang? Where does the coach/teacher romance end up? Does the coach have a drinking problem? Is an 11,000-dollar gambling debt really enough to force you so deep into the gutter that you will be inspired to completely change your life to get out?
Overall, "Hardball" is an escapist film and it might even make you think. You'll laugh for sure -- Reeves' rendition of "Big Papa" is hilarious. This one has the makings of an important movie, but somehow falls short. Perhaps it tries to introduce too many elements, without fully developing any of them. It can wait for video. And keep it away from young kids -- heed that PG-13 rating, unless you want to raise some youngins with serious potty mouth.
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