“We’re not athletes, we’re baseball players! ” – Jack
Number of Times Seen – 1 (6 Feb 2017)
Brief Synopsis – An ageing baseball player is traded to a team in Japan where he must learn to play the game their way while also dealing with the cultural differences.
My Take on it – Being a fan of both baseball and Tom Selleck, I’ve been interested in seeing this film for quite some time, but never really felt in the mood since I was sure it wasn’t gonna be so great.
The first problem is that Selleck himself feels very miscast in this role and doesn’t really give off a genuine feeling.
I did find it interesting though how they were able to show us the way that Japanese culture has affected the way that they play baseball which in essence is their way of embracing baseball into their culture and making it an integral part of the way they play sports; honor above all else.
Most of the story is a paint by numbers account of a sports figure who must get back into his prime and we’ve seen that so many times before while this film just doesn’t add anything new to that structure.
In the end, this is a pretty mediocre baseball game that doesn’t deliver because it didn’t fulfill its potential.
Bottom Line – Selleck feels a bit miscast here. Was interesting to learn about the way the Japanese culture affects the way they play baseball. All in all, a pretty mediocre film that doesn’t offer enough.
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – While preparing for this movie, Tom Selleck spent time with the Detroit Tigers during 1991 spring training. He was even brought into a game as a late inning pinch hitter, managing to foul off one pitch before striking out. (From IMDB)
Rating – BAFTA Worthy
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