| The Rookie |
| 2002, Disney. Directed by John Lee Hancock. Starring Dennis Quaid. Rated G |
| Grade: B+ |
| Review by Anthony |
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| Dennis Quaid stars in this based-on-a-true-story movie about a man named Jim Morris. All his life, Jim has had an ardent love for baseball. While still in the minor league however, Jim throws his arm out, consequently putting an end to his dreams. Years later, he becomes a chemistry teacher and a baseball coach for a school in Big Lake, Texas. While throwing a few balls to the team's catcher, Jim decides to let loose and throw a fastball...a very fast ball. Soon the whole team knows about his mean arm. Later, while trying to motivate his team to start playing better, he talks to them about following their dreams. They retaliate by accusing him of not pursuing his. As a result, they make a deal: if the team wins the district championship, Jim will go to pitching try-outs. Not only is The Rookie an enjoyable and inspiring movie, but it is also refreshingly wholesome. It is G-rated, it has a good depiction of family life, and it also features a saint in an important supporting role. As the film opens, we see the story of the founding of Big Lake. A couple of guys searching for oil get the financial aid of two nuns. The nuns also pray over the site of the oil searching, invoking the intercession of St. Rita (patron saint of the impossible). Against all probability, they strike oil and use it to start the small town of Big Lake. More impossible events occur throught the rest of the movie; and likewise throughout the rest of the movie, the camera focuses on a medal bearing the inscription, "St. Rita, pray for us." The Rookie is a good, clean family movie with positive Catholic references - a rare combination in most movies today. |