Genre Grandeur April Finale- The Rookie (2002) – Encore Review 3 – MovieRob

For this month’s final review for Genre Grandeur – Sports Themed Movies, here’s a review of The Rookie (2002) by me.

In case you missed any of the reviews, here’s a recap:

The Novice (2021) – Paul
Brian’s Song (1971) – Sally
42 (2013) – James
Phantom of the Open (2022) – Paul
Early Man (2018) – David
Moneyball (2011) – James
Journeyman (2017) – Paul
For the Love of the Game (1999) – J-Dub
Fat City (1972) – David
Le Man 66 (2019) – Paul
Invincible (2006) – Ryan
Hard Times (1975) – David
Blackball (2003) – Darren
61* (2001) – Rob
King Richard (2021) – Paul
Fever Pitch (2005) – Rob
This Sporting Life (1963) – David
Rookie, The (2002) – Rob

In addition, I watched 11 movies in my companion series Genre Guesstimation. Thankfully, two of those films will now be considered among my favorites in the genre.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (2008)
*Horse Feathers (1932)
Happy Valley (2014)
Breaking Away (1979)
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Big Fan (2009)
Not Exactly Cooperstown (2014)
*Long Gone Summer (2020)
Mighty Ducks, The (1992)
D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)
D3: Mighty Ducks (1996)

Next month’s genre has been chosen by Matthew Simpson of Awesome Friday and we will be reviewing our favorite Best Picture Nominated Movies that didn’t win.

Thanks again to Tyler of The Geek Card Check for choosing this month’s genre.

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of May by sending them to AwesomeMatthew@movierob.net

Try to think out of the box!

Let’s see what I thought of this movie:

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“Look, guys, most of you, you’re gonna finish up school here, you’re gonna work the rigs, you’re gonna work at Bo’s Tire Barn, you’re gonna raise a family, you’re gonna retire, and you’re gonna do all that right here in Big Lake. And there’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of real good people have done that. I’m doing it. But, if you’re looking for something more after you’re done here, you better give some serious thought as to how you’re gonna play out the rest of this season!” – Jimmy

Number of Times Seen – Too many to count (16 Sep 2002, numerous times on DVD, 3 Jun 2013, 11 Jan 2017, 27 Jan 2020 and 29 Apr 2022)

Link to original review – Here, Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – Based on the true story of a high school chemistry teacher and baseball coach who made a bet with his students that if they win the league championship, he will try out for a major league baseball team.

My Take on it – This is one of my all time favorite sports movies as well as being among my all time favorite movies.

I fell in love with this film before I even saw it for the first time based solely on a synopsis that I read online which prompted me to buy the DVD before having watched it.

This decision 2 decades ago turned out to be fortuitous for me especially given the fact that this is not just a sports movie.

It is also a movie about doing what you feel you are meant to do in life and sometime taking the leap of faith that things will work out for the better.

Dennis Quaid is superb in this film and helps give off such a great impression of his character and the choices he needs to make in life.

The added bonus that this story is based on something that really happened makes it even more fascinating to watch unfold.

The music is great and adds to the atmosphere and poignancy of the story.

The story works really well and stays engaging and fascinating from start to finish.

Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In real life, after his first major league game in Arlington, Texas, Jim Morris asked catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to sign a baseball. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)