Plot: What’s it about?
It has to be the smell of the grass made more potent when freshly cut. Chalk mixed with red clay adhering to one’s tightly fitting baseball pants, in the Summer, the boys come out to play, and they play baseball. Young and old, they follow the game relating to it on every level. Dennis Quaid’s new film “The Rookie” is about baseball. It is a real baseball movie in the vein of “Bull Durham” which next to “Bang The Drum Slowly” is one of the best sports films ever made. “The Rookie” is not nearly as good as those films, but adequately and cleanly captures the feeling of the game, the smells, the sounds, the hard work, and some of the magic.
Jimmy Morris (played well by a sensitive Dennis Quaid) was a real person. He played two seasons in the big leagues, 1999 and 2000, in his mid-30s. His stats were not as important as the fact that he actually made it into Major League Baseball after a 12 year hiatus from the game following a shoulder injury and an operation in his youth that seemingly ended his career. The film about his amazing accomplishment tells us that he went from being a Texas high school chemistry teacher and baseball coach to a big league relief pitcher. Its a fantasy that can be believed because, after all, it really happened. Dennis Quaid has made a lot of movies about athletes–football players, bicyclists, and runners. With “The Rookie” he finds a role perfectly suited to his age and his attitude. There is a sensitivity to his performance that sells even the most corny elements. The film would not have worked without him.
Rachel Griffiths (from HBO’s neat little soap “Six Feet Under) plays his all Texas wife who stands reluctantly by him as he leaves her and his three children for a belated run at the bigs starting with a minor league farm team organization. Griffiths never ceases to amaze me as an actress. According to IMDB, she is Australian but handles various American accents and personas as though she is a native. I argue with my wife about her looks which seem to be a happy concoction between Juliette Lewis and Helen Hunt. In “The Rookie,” she makes a believable Texas woman; she even manages to look the part–tough and wiry. “The Rookie” is the first live action rated “G” film I have seen on the big screen in some time. I was pleasantly impressed by its wide appeal and effortless entertainment value. Of course, baseball is a sport that can be watched and appreciated by all of us at any age. Why shouldn’t a film about it be available to everyone as well.
Video: How does it look?
The Rookie is presented in two different versions, and they’re sold separately. The widescreen version was sent for review, so that’s what I’ll discuss. Though I do have to agree with Disney’s decision to include a full-frame version as well, but they (like most other studios) should have included it on the same disc. Nevertheless, a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is what we’re greeted with (notice how much you’ll miss on the full-frame version) and it looks stunning. Disney’s day and date DVD’s are usually great and this is no exception. Every blade of grass, every seam on the baseball show up in a most vivid example of detail that I’ve seen. No artifacting and hardly any edge enhancement can be seen. While not perfect, this is a top notch transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
Two Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are included here, one in English and the other in French. Being a family film, we can’t really expect that the sound would light up the room. For the most part, we’re right. The channel separation is good, with the surround speakers doing their part most all of the way through the film. Some of the scenes were not as robust as I would have thought, particularly during the final scene in a baseball stadium. Still, dialogue is crystal clear and the rest of the effects are limited to the front three channels. Not bad, but not reference level either.
Supplements: What are the extras?
While not loaded down with supplements, The Rookie does have a few supplements to keep us entertained. The commentary track is perhaps the most enjoyable feature of them all. First time Director, John Lee Hancock offers up a pretty good track here filled with lots of information about the shoot, what was left in and what was left out of the picture. Almost as entertaining is the featurette "The Inspirational Story of Jon Morris" in which we get to know Mr. Morris, how he arrived as a coach in West Texas and from some of his students, how they encouraged him to give the big leagues a shot. This isn’t like the typical featurette found on most DVD’s. I, for one, really enjoyed it and it’s something that the whole family will like. Additionally there are some seven deleted scenes that can be played individually or all at once. Director John Lee Hancock gives a brief introduction and for each individual scene and as he says, the main reason these were cut…time. Round this off with a guide to Spring Training: Baseball Tips by some raspy-voiced baseball expert who served as the technical advisor for the film. Pitching, catching and all the other basics are covered here. Though I’m not sure if this will make anyone a better player, I’ll be sure and try some next time I’m playing. Watch out for that bonus feature, kiddies…learn how to properly apply mustard to that Ball Park dog!
