Hardball (2001)

“I want you guys to take a good look at yourselves and feel proud. We made it here. We’re here. What I’ve learned from you is that really one of the most important things in life is showing up. I’m blown away by your ability to show up through everything that’s gone on. The league never wanted you to play this game, but you showed up. But, uh, we only have eight players so, we can’t play. ” – Conor O’Neill

Number of Times Seen – Twice (28 May 2002 and 20 Sep 2021)

Brief Synopsis – A washed out gambler is convinced to coach a little league baseball team in the inner city in order to get out of debt.

My Take on it – Intriguing premise that has been done so often that it just doesn’t feel original enough.

Keanu Reeves isn’t that convincing in this role and doesn’t help elevate the story beyond the usual tropes of this kind of story.

Diane Lane is also a great actress, but the two of them fail to have better chemistry than they are suppose to have.

The film does have a few heartfelt moments that help make it a bit more engaging o watch especially given the way that they depict inner city life where there is a fine line between hope and despair for those wishing to break free of this kind of life.

The story tho unfortunately isn’t as inspiring as one might hope for.

The fact that this is based on a real story also doesn’t help make things more impactful which is quite a shame.

This is basically a poor man’s version of a remake of The Bad News Bears (1976)

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – “Hard Ball” and “The Glass House” were both released on September 14, 2001, and were the first two major motion pictures to be released after the terrorists attack on September 11, 2001. They both co-starred Diane Lane. (From IMDB)

Rating – Razzie Worthy (4/10)