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.
-- Liz
( 2 out of 4 pops )
Talk
about this film with other Popkorn Junkies |
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Other Junkie's
opinions.....
Patsy ( 2 out of 4 pops )
I expected "Hardball" to be a feel-good movie but it really
wasn't. I guess I was being naive, how could a movie set in the
ghetto make anyone feel good? The movie was sad. Parts of it
were funny, parts of it were touching, but in the end you will feel sad
and maybe a little angry. Much like, "Return to
Paradise", a grave injustice is committed near the end of the
film. The makers of both films ("RTP" and
"Hardball") try to end the story on an up-note, with a sort of
"life goes on..." message, but it doesn't work. At least
not for me, not right now. A lot of people went to the movies this
weekend...to get away from the news. A lot of people saw
"Hardball" this weekend (it was #1 at the box office) and I'm
sure they thought it would lift their spirits a little, I hope it did,
but I doubt it-- Keanu singing "Big Pappa" can only keep you
smiling for so long.
James
( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )
Hardball
isn't a great movie, but it's not a bad movie either. There are
some really funny scenes;
Keanu
singing "big papa" is one of them. But the movie is more
predictable than the Washington Redskins,
and ALMOST just as bad. Roger Ebert said it best "We're
always aware of the formula--and in
a picture based on real life, we shouldn't be."
Matt ( 3 out of
4 pops )
Keanu Reeves hasn't received a very good rep as an actor, but I think
he's very underrated and in this movie he proves it well as a
desperate, down-on-his-luck ticket scalper with a massive gambling
addiction. He's so desperate that he goes to Church to pray that
the Bulls cover the point spread. There are lots of funny
moments, the ending is sad and touching, the message involving
the importance of sports in inner-cities is quite powerful and the
beautiful Diane Lane plays Keanu's love interest--need I say
more? The plot is predictable--with the exception of a few
depressing twists--but with a lively, feel-good movie like this,
I couldn't really mind. Besides, what other chance will you
get to see Keanu sing along to "Big Poppa" by Notorious
B.I.G.?
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