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Mr. Baseball

Mr. Baseball

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW!!!!!!
Review: at first i was skeptical about tom sellick coming out of the role of magnum "from magnum pi" but once i started watching mr baseball, wow the way it brings japanese and american culture togather has not been seen since the karate kid 2. one of the most heartwarming scenes is when he goes to his girlfriends fathers house and his girlfriends father is his manager that he did not get along with.they have a discussion about baseball and life that will stick with you for the remander of your days. this is the most epic film in the history of modern cinima.with his performance in mr baseball tom selleck has catapulted his name into the list of greatest actors. now when you think pacino, brando, bogart you have to also put sellick in that list if not at the top. to say mr baseball changed my life would be an understatment. mr baseball changed the world.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW!!!!!!
Review: at first i was skeptical about tom sellick coming out of the role of magnum "from magnum pi" but once i started watching mr baseball, wow the way it brings japanese and american culture togather has not been seen since the karate kid 2. one of the most heartwarming scenes is when he goes to his girlfriends fathers house and his girlfriends father is his manager that he did not get along with.they have a discussion about baseball and life that will stick with you for the remander of your days. this is the most epic film in the history of modern cinima.with his performance in mr baseball tom selleck has catapulted his name into the list of greatest actors. now when you think pacino, brando, bogart you have to also put sellick in that list if not at the top. to say mr baseball changed my life would be an understatment. mr baseball changed the world.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW!!!!!!
Review: at first i was skeptical about tom sellick coming out of the role of magnum "from magnum pi" but once i started watching mr baseball, wow the way it brings japanese and american culture togather has not been seen since the karate kid 2. one of the most heartwarming scenes is when he goes to his girlfriends fathers house and his girlfriends father is his manager that he did not get along with.they have a discussion about baseball and life that will stick with you for the remander of your days. this is the most epic film in the history of modern cinima.with his performance in mr baseball tom selleck has catapulted his name into the list of greatest actors. now when you think pacino, brando, bogart you have to also put sellick in that list if not at the top. to say mr baseball changed my life would be an understatment. mr baseball changed the world.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Huh? this is a movie?
Review: Don't buy this movie I got it as a gift, should have returned it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Captures Japanese life and Baseball incredibly accurately!
Review: For one thing, this movie pivoted on the theme of baseball is a world better than the Madonna/Davis starring "A league of their own" or the more recent travesties like "A field of dreams". For another, the schism between American and Japanese ideologies/way of life is just so truly captured that it is difficult to believe this movie is not the de-facto recommendation for people interested in Japan. Guess it missed out on the major league scene because, well, quite literally it is not about US major leagues?

A US baseball star (Selleck) is traded to a Japanese baseball team and finds himself at intellectual loggerheads with the extant coach of the team. This, plus a slight romantic sub-plot as he falls in love with the coach's daughter.

Barring some minor cheesy moments -- e.g., when the coach takes Selleck to a golf driving range and makes him hit the balls with a baseball bat, only to hear "I want to hit balls" instead of "I want to hit baseballs"...hmm -- the accuracy of Japanese life is truly stunning. Including, eating ramen with vociferous slurps, digging chopsticks vertically in rice bowls being a no-no, the language used to communicate between the American/Japanese, even a scene with a real on-sen. A refreshing break after stereotype galore seen in movies of that time, including the entertaining "Black Rain" or the absolutely goofball "Rising Sun".

To cut to the chase, this is an under-rated gem of a movie, very well shot, some messages about life and profession as seen from two very different perspectives that are likely to resonate with either side. Selleck takes the cake with his acting, baring his tush (literally, I may add) to portray a grouchy American, snubbing people relentlessly and throwing tantrums in public, then letting us inside this character to understand his views. Takakura Ken, needless to say, is fascinating as usual.

A must watch if you are interested in Japan, or baseball, or a good light-hearted cross cultural take on life and sport.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mr. Baseball is a HOOT!
Review: I loved this movie! It is so funny and yet so many of the situations in Japan are similar to my own experiences. If you've never been to Japan, you will still laugh at all the right places for the right reasons. If you've been to Japan, it will be that much funnier. The scene where Tom Selleck drags his interpreter into his apartment is great because a Japanese person would NEVER wear his shoes indoors, so the scene where this poor soul is being dragged into the room by his tie and trying to kick off his shoes is classic. Watch it, you won't be disappointed!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perhaps the most underrated baseball movie ever
Review: I've watched a number of baseball movies over the years, and "Mr. Baseball" is among the best of them all and probably the most underrated. Anyone who's studied Japanese baseball will recognize the accuracy in which the game there is portrayed, as well as the culture shock most American players go through (and often never get over). Tom Selleck is a great choice for the role of Jack Elliott, an ex-Yankee sold to the Chunichi Dragons, much to his dismay. Dennis Haysbert is solid in a supporting role as a fellow American player on the Dragons who tries to help Jack adjust, and Aya Takanashi is gorgeous and classy as Jack's love interest. This video is absolutely worth buying, since you really don't have to be a fan of the game to enjoy it. I rate "Mr. Baseball" in the same class as "Bull Durham" and "A League of Their Own" and much better than either of the "Major League" movies, "Angels In The Outfield," or any of the other more recent baseball flicks.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perhaps the most underrated baseball movie ever
Review: I've watched a number of baseball movies over the years, and "Mr. Baseball" is among the best of them all and probably the most underrated. Anyone who's studied Japanese baseball will recognize the accuracy in which the game there is portrayed, as well as the culture shock most American players go through (and often never get over). Tom Selleck is a great choice for the role of Jack Elliott, an ex-Yankee sold to the Chunichi Dragons, much to his dismay. Dennis Haysbert is solid in a supporting role as a fellow American player on the Dragons who tries to help Jack adjust, and Aya Takanashi is gorgeous and classy as Jack's love interest. This video is absolutely worth buying, since you really don't have to be a fan of the game to enjoy it. I rate "Mr. Baseball" in the same class as "Bull Durham" and "A League of Their Own" and much better than either of the "Major League" movies, "Angels In The Outfield," or any of the other more recent baseball flicks.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Heartwarming drama hiding behind a light sports comedy
Review: MR. BASEBALL is a film of paradoxes. Written and filmed as a "light, sports comedy" it truly has a heartwarming core as human and universal as some of Capra's finest. At the plot level, you have the paradox of baseball, a fine old American game, as it is played in Japan - turned around, with American values cast off and Japanese values imprinted upon the game. (Some of the superficial "sports comedy" results from Jack's uncomprehending disbelief at how "basa-boru" is played in Japan.) You also have a lead character who's presented as an over-the-hill, aging baseball star, but who is actually quite immature - pro ball allowed him to postpone growing up. And you have a lead character who is rudely resistant to the changes in his life that are being forced upon him, refusing to accept the curveball that life has given him, in the midst of a new country, a new manager, a new team, and a new girlfriend, who have all welcomed him and try to accept him. Sound like heavy stuff? Not really. It's a charming "clash of cultures" comedy that takes place on the national, sports, romantic, and professional levels. But if you watch it sensitively enough, you will also find a great story about a man who has to abandon his immaturity and grow up way too late in life (causing some amount of personal pain), and finds success in places he never expected it. I love the story, but I also have great respect for Selleck's performance; he bares his tush (literally) to portray an ugly American, insulting people and throwing tantrums in public, then lets us inside this character to understand his dismay. It also doesn't hurt if you're a big fan of Takakura Ken like I am. MR. BASEBALL is a surprising "loss of innocence" tale.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid Movie
Review: Mr. Baseball is a good movie, although a bit unusual. It's not really a comedy and it's not really a drama. Picture those two worlds joined together and you have Mr. Baseball. This is the story of an old ballplayer who is a few years past his prime and gets sent away to Japan to play baseball. What ensues is fish out of water comedy as Tom Selleck's character gets used to Japan and simultaneously a love interest develops providing the drama. This movie is along the lines of a For Love of The Game, but funnier and not quite as heartwarming.


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