Plot: What’s it about?
Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nichols) has a strong desire to become a star baseball player, but his skills simply don’t measure up. He does his best and tries to compete, but he ends up striking out whenever the chance to shine arrives. This isn’t just on the diamond either, as when one of his schoolmates throws him a pop-up, he slips, falls, breaks his arm, and to top it all off, he drops the ball in front of the girl he has a crush on. So if his dreams were crushed before, this broken bone seems to have cinched it, since he has to miss so much practice and game time. As time passes however, he keeps his chin up and when the time comes to remove his cast, a new world of chances is presented to him. You see, his tendons healed a little too tight and as a result, his arm can throw a baseball faster than the eyes could trace it. He discovers this new talent at a Cubs game and once the coaches saw the throw, Henry was quickly offered a contract to become the newest member of the team. But even though he has the physical talents to succeed, can he train his mind to follow or will his dream once again be trounced?
The art of family cinema is a tough one, as filmmakers have to aim the film at kids, but make sure adults can also have a good time. This usually ends in disaster, but some movies manage to pull it off and I think this is one of them. No, Rookie of the Year is not a classic, but it is a fun feature that kids should like and parents can handle, as it has a lot of humorous moments, to be sure. The writing is solid for a family movie and if you’re a baseball fan, this one has even more to offer, since it centers on the sport. The in game scenes seem to have the most laughs, but Rookie of the Year is well rounded, except when it tries to become melodramatic. So it is by no means a cinematic masterpiece, but it is a fun, enjoyable picture. Thomas Ian Nichols (American Pie, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court) plays the lead as well as can be expected, while Daniel Stern (Bushwhacked, Home Alone), Gary Busey (Black Sheep, Surviving the Game), and others provide memorable supporting turns. A light, enjoyable family film, Rookie of the Year is well worth a look and with a low price, there’s no reason to pass this disc up.
Video: How does it look?
Rookie of the Year is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. I was never too pleased with the laserdisc edition of this film, but Fox has redeemed themselves here, with a very solid visual presentation. The print looks very clean and shows minimal signs of wear, which means the film’s age is hidden and with any film, that has to be good news. The colors look bold and remain stable, while contrast is on the mark also, no detail loss in the least. This might not stack up against the reference level discs, but it is a very good treatment, especially for a catalog release.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround option, but as expected, the mix is rather reserved, due to the material involved. Some of the baseball scenes have some good crowd noise and such, but this one is mainly focused in the front channels, which is how this kind of material should be presented. The music is expansive and visits the rears often, while dialogue is clean and never falters in the slightest. This disc also includes 2.0 surround tracks in English and French, as well as English and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a brief behind the scenes featurette, eight television spots, and three of the film’s theatrical trailers.
