DIRECTED BY Robert Mulligan
YEAR 1957
ALSO STARRING Karl Malden, Norma Moore.

BEST QUOTE
For the first half of the film, it's Karl Malden who seems to get all the lines such as "We'll do it son," or "We can win this one", living through his son as Tony mopes around and grunts for most of it. He does, however, get the most devastating quote of the whole film - "If it wasn't for my father standing behind me, driving me forward, I wouldn't be where I am today", spoken from the inside of a mental institution...

BEST MOMENT
I know it's cheesy, but right at the end when his wife (lucky woman...) goes to see him before he goes out to play another game... ahhhh!

WORST MOMENT
There are two - first, when Jim starts on one of his team mates for not hitting hard enough, and second, when Jim wigs out during one of his games, and starts scaling the fences and shouting at the crowd - it's at these moments that you see the amount of pressure heaped on him and he just can't take it anymore.

REVIEW
The story of baseball great Jim Piersall, groomed by his loving but hard-driving father (living vicariously through his son) to play major league baseball. As his desire to succeed to please his father leads to mental illness and a nervous breakdown, can he overcome those difficulties and return to the major leagues? Tony's performance here is a little restrained (on purpose?) and for the first half of the film he comes across as a bit of an ape, mumbling his lines, moping around and looking moody (but still gorgeous!). He does love his wife and child though, and its good to know this story has a happy ending!

SEE THIS IF YOU LIKE:
Shine (1996), or baseball/sporting films such as A League of Their Own and The Rookie.