WARNING: Spoilers, I give away the
ending, though it’s nothing you don’t see on the
commercials / trailers / previews / etc...
There is something that
really aggravates me about Disney sports movies,
and that’s that they all end in the same way,
leaving on an incredibly positive and cheerful
note. This does let them qualify as “feel-good”
flicks, though over the years it has become
annoying. This fact does remain true in
The Rookie but, I still liked it for what it
is, and if you’re wondering, it did make me feel
good.
The film tells the true
story of Jim Morris, a high school science
teacher, who becomes a major league baseball
player. When Morris was young he was highly
involved in baseball, but because of his dad’s
career in the Navy, the family was forced to
move around a lot, hence he was never able to
complete a full season with any one
little-league team. When he finally was able to
settle down in
Texas,
where his father was able to steadily maintain a
job, he found that there were no organized
baseball leagues to play in. Though he was able
to later play in the minor leagues, when
injuring his shoulder during a game, he was
forced to call it quits and give up his dream –
to play with the big guys in the majors.
Later in his life, when
teaching at the school he worked at, he was
informed that a high school baseball team was
being formed and was asked to coach it. He
willingly said “Yes” and started working with
the players right away. Though it was a treat
for to be a part of the game he loved, the team
wasn’t very good and after half of a season,
very unmotivated; but he kept at it.
One day, after practice,
the catcher of the team dared him to throw a
couple of pitches. He uneasily accepted, despite
what the doctors had told him about possibly
blowing out his shoulder once again after any
strenuous training. After the first pitch, the
catcher could not believe his eyes…A man in his
thirties had thrown almost as fast as any
professional ball player; Mr. Morris still had
his old technique with him. The next day,
everyone knew (besides Morris’ wife) and the
team made a deal with their new monster pitcher.
If they by chance made it to the playoffs, he
would have to try out for a major league team.
Good fortune took its
toll, and the team greatly improved in hopes of
seeing their coach become a major league
baseball player. They ended up making the
playoffs by one game! When a tryout becomes
available, Morris takes it and throws a pitch
that reads in at ninety-eight miles
miles-per-hour, something some veteran pitchers
can’t even do. He ends up making a call back,
and starts to play for the Devil Rays Triple-A
team, but considers quitting when money becomes
tight because of the low-revenue that playing on
an unprofessional team generates. But in the
end, all of his work pays off when
Tampa
Bay’s
MLB team calls him up, and suggests that he
plays for their team. This is a great ending, to
a great story that makes you feel tremendously
about yourself. In real-life, Morris was able to
play two years of ball for the Devil Rays.
Even though it was
predictable, I still loved this wonderfully put
together film and all of the features that came
along with it. Many critics explained the movies
prologue as an unnecessary waste of time, though
I thought it was a creative beginning to a
magically amusing story. The Disney name lives
on yet another time!
-Danny, Bucket
Reviews