Real human interest stories are a favorite of mine. Make believe is great but when something takes place that warms the heart and makes you feel for others, then that's a good movie. Million Dollar Arm is just such a film. Sports agent J B Bernstein in Los Angeles was on the verge of losing his new business and his co-owner was fearful of it too. While watching the London talent show where he watched some one who looked nothing like what a singer was supposed to look like blow the judges away he was struck with an idea how to save his company of signing sports players . He couldn't stand cricket but his friend and co worker watched it a lot (he is Indian) and he watched how fast the guys playing it threw the ball. What if they could throw a baseball that fast? So he came up with an idea to go to India and have young people try out to win a million dollars throwing a baseball. Now this is a land of cricket and no one played baseball at all. JB is played by Jon Hamm doing an awesome job of a man who needs to save his very well off way of living (super model girlfriends and Jag) and completely over looks what he is really doing here. He finds out of thousands only two young men who can throw at the speeds in the 80`s. He takes them out of their lives which are nothing like the one they find in America. JB was driven crazy by bumper to bumper traffic and everyone honking their horns all the time. But think what it would be like for two young men dropped into a life of elevators, swimming pools, room service, smoke alarms, etc. He just abandons them at the hotel with a man he picked up in India who is working for free just because he loves baseball. Of course, trouble comes along when they set off smoke alarms and panic. So JB is forced to take them home with him. Alan Arkin plays a scout way past his prime who sleeps most of the time but can hear how fast a ball is traveling even when asleep. Everyone thought this idea was laughable to begin with but JB had gotten some millionaire to back him. It is very funny watching these guys learn to speak English and try to understand the ways of learning to really play baseball. It was not an easy road and at times looked to be an awful idea that was not going to work. But JB learns something about caring for someone other then himself. The young men, Dinesh and Rinku were eventually signed by the Pirates. Rinku stills plays for them but Dinesh went back to India and helps with the contest which is still carried out every year. The man who worked for free coaches baseball players in India now. It is a film well worth seeing and money well spent. Out of 10 I give it a 10.
Cat Says:
Whenever I hear that a movie has been "Based on a True Story" I have to go look that story up. What I found is that this is actually fairly close to the real story for these two boys. I also found out what happened after the contest!
Anyways, Barbara covered the story line so I won't repeat it. However, I will say, as a baseball fan (read: freak) I was thrilled with this film. Yes, it's told from the perspective of the agent but knowing what I do about baseball it was fun to watch this process unfold. Now, having said that, Barbara doesn't like baseball...at all. But she loved this film too. So even if you don't like the game don't let that stop you from getting out and seeing this.
The highlights of this film are the wanna-be Indian Scout who starts to work for JB for free (he's now working for real in India with the sport of baseball as a coach!), the retired coach, played by Alan Arkin, who is simply hysterical but amazing at his job and, of course, the two boys, Rinku (currently out for the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery but still part of the Pirates organization) and Dinesh who still works with the contest back in India teaching kids baseball.
The fact that this sport, which I love so much, is now being enjoyed by a whole new country is fantastic, but the fact that this man found out that there is SO much more to life than just money is what Disney is always trying to teach us. This is a 9 out of 10 for me. Not perfect since it does get a bit melodramatic from time to time but very close!
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