The Rookie (2002/I)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

John Lee Hancock

Writer (WGA):

Mike Rich (written by)

Release Date:

29 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Sport

Tagline:

It's never too late to believe in your dreams.

Plot:

A Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.

Plot Keywords:

Coach | High School | Texas | Baseball | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	5:00 PM	AMC
Tue. Nov. 10	9:30 AM	AMC

Cast

Dennis Quaid	...	Jimmy Morris
Rachel Griffiths	...	Lorri Morris
Jay Hernandez	...	Joaquin 'Wack' Campos
Beth Grant	...	Olline
Angus T. Jones	...	Hunter Morris
Brian Cox	...	Jim Morris Sr.
Rick Gonzalez	...	Rudy Bonilla
Chad Lindberg	...	Joe David West
Angelo Spizzirri	...	Joel De La Garza
Royce D. Applegate	...	Henry
Russell Richardson	...	Brooks
Raynor Scheine	...	Frank
David Blackwell	...	Cal
Blue Deckert	...	Baseball Scout Dave Patterson
Danny Kamin	...	Durham Manager Mac (as Daniel Kamin)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | Sweden:Btl | Canada:F (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:G (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:G (Ontario) (video rating: 2004) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:U | USA:G (certificate #38665)

Filming Locations:

Austin Studios - 1901 E. 51st Street, Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

98 MPH Productions

Trivia:

Trevor Morgan, who plays Young Jimmy, had to learn how to pitch left-handed.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jimmy is putting the first article up on the bulletin board, he places it towards the center of the board in the medium shot. However, when the camera shows a close-up of the article, it is up on the top near the frame of the board.

Quotes:

TV Reporter: [interviewing Jimmy after his first major league game] What pitches did you throw to get that strikeout?
Jimmy: Fastball, fastball, and
[chuckling]
Jimmy: fastball!
TV Reporter: How did it feel, pitching in the major leagues?
Jimmy: Just like I hoped it would.
Jimmy: [to the reporters, seeing his father through the TV lights] Can you excuse me?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Getaway: (#17.5)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Christmas Song

They Did This Sports Movie Right

I love it when they actually do a sports story well. So many in the past have been so hokey it was embarrassing to watch. Not this one. It's just a genuinely nice movie, an old-fashioned type of story - and based on a real-life guy to did exactly what Dennis Quaid did in this film. He plays a high school coach who is talked into trying out, late in life athletically-speaking, to become a pitcher in professional baseball. Eventually, he reaches his goal of making it to the Major Leagues, even if it was a very brief stint.

All the characters in here are nice people, the kind you root for, from Quaid to the players on his high school team, to his little boy (Angus T. Jones, now somewhat of a star on television.)

Quaid is believable in playing Jim Morris because, unlike actors in the past in sports films, he knows how to throw a baseball. He looks like a pitcher, a guy who could fire it 90-plus miles per hour. And, most of this film is true, as testified by the real-life pitcher in one the documentaries on the DVD.

So, if you're looking for a nice, inspirational true life sports film, you can't wrong with this one.