The other evening, Blaine and I once again found ourselves in the never-ending predicament of trying to determine what to tune into via Netflix. I’ve had the privilege of choosing what movies we watch the past few times he and I have decided to watch something, so this time it was Blaine’s turn, and, alas, he put on a baseball movie.
Allow me to state that I have absolutely no issue with sports, or baseball movies. However, Blaine is a bit of a serial movie rewatcher, so it is safe to say I’ve seen my share of baseball movies, and I didn’t get my hopes up when he selected Hardball.
I’m now eating humble pie as Hardball exceeded my expectations.
This movie “is a 2001 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Brian Robbins and starring Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane and D. B. Sweeney. The screenplay by John Gatins is based on the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle,” the film’s Wikipedia Page states.
Following Reeves’ character, a young man who finds himself in a serious gambling debt, this movie is a strong depiction of how anyone can turn their life around when they’re willing to put the work in, as cliche as that may sound. Reeves, desperate to pay back some of the debts he owes, begins coaching a baseball team for young kids in the ghetto of Los Angeles. He quickly becomes attached to these boys, despite his hesitancy to assist with the team at first, resulting in an emotional and feel-good story that caught my by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but, like I said, I’m eating humble pie.
Also, Michael B. Jordan appears in this movie when he was only 13 years-old, and this in itself is worth seeing.
If you like baseball, Keanu Reeves, and an inspirational outcome, this movie is for you.
ontheedgeofeverything 