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The Rookie (Widescreen Edition)

The Rookie (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WONDERFUL, MUCH-NEEDED "FAMILY MOVIE." GREAT!
Review: I have been a fan of Dennis Quaid ever since first seeing him in BREAKING AWAY (another movie like this one that is worth seeing).
He has certainly matured and adds depth to a movie that could have just come across as mediocre. To my great surprise, this movie bursts with good heartfelt emotions and will be a "classic" for Disney (about time in my opinion, but that's another story). The premise is pretty straightforward, but because of the many fine characters and the simple, effective sequence of events, it leaves the viewer feeling satisfied. With all the shamefully poor movies presented these days, THE ROOKIE deserves some genuine praise! I obviously loved the story, but noticed other nice elements, like the unusual music played throughout. Although this movie definitely should be rated 5 stars, I would like to have seen better explanations of the relationship between Dennis Quaid's character and his mother; the relationship between father/son and husband/wife are explored effectively, but I would like to have seen more details to explain more about what was going on between Quaid's character and his mother. This probably doesn't seem worth mentioning, but it is obvious to ones who have seen the film. Still I loved this picture and do NOT consider myself a die-hard baseball fan; I saw this as a movie more about living out one's dreams than about playing baseball. Fine entertainment for adults and children!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful movie for the family!
Review: Based on a true story, the Rookie tells about the life of Jim Morris. A high school science teacher who also coaches the school's baseball team, the Owls, in Big Lake, Texas. Jim has long ago abandoned his dream of playing in the big leagues after a shoulder injury diminished his chances. Now with a wife and three children, Jim watches as his high school team faces a losing streak with no end in sight. His offer? If the team comes together and wins the district championship, he will try out for a major league team. The team, sensing an opportunity to witness the dormant greatness in Jim, gets their act together and soon wins seventeen games. Thrilled with their accomplishment, Jim is now forced to confront his promise.

The Rookie, which won best sports film at the 2002 ESPY Awards, is an admirable, inspiring, amusing and charming movie. It's told with love and has a family friendly feel to it. Dennis Quaid gives a commanding performance as Jim Morris. He manages to find the essence of his role as a frustrated man who, after years of defeat, finally finds the path to his dreams. Rachel Griffiths also gives a great performance as Jim's wife, Lorri.

The DVD edition offers some fantastic bonus features, like deleted scenes, commentary (from the director and Dennis Quaid) and a look at the real Jim Morris. The sound and picture quality is crisp and clear, too. Highly recommended!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well crafted family film
Review: "The Rookie" is a rather fictionalized account of the life of Jim Morris, whose promising career in minor league baseball was quashed by a shoulder injury in the 80s. He then became a high school science teacher and baseball coach in a small Texas town. Several years later, he tried out for major league team and became the oldest rookie in baseball in forty years. Morris played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for several seasons.

This unabashedly sentimental movie piles on the cliches - dreaming the impossible dream, turning the ragtag high school team into state champions, dealing with the wife who is supportive but worries about how the family will survive, etc. Still, the movie manages to be a rousing crowd-pleaser and has the distinction of being a genuine, old-fashioned family film. Rated 'G', it manages to prove once more that, from time to time, a movie can be entertaining for all age groups without the use of foul language, violence, gross-out jokes and/or lots of exposed flesh. [I state this as a fact, not as any kind of moral judgment.]

Key to the success of the movie is a dynamite performance by Dennis Quaid as Morris. He is so intense and believable that some of the script's sillier plot devices can be overlooked. Rachael Griffith is quite good as the wife, Lorri Morris, although the role doesn't utilize many of this enormously gifted actress's talents.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: i think on of the best disney movies ever
Review: i received this dvd for my birthday from some of my freinds and i watched it last night.i think this is one of the best sport movies sense rudy. the true story of jim morris i loved this movie to see a man with a dream and to get to that dream was inspirational. this is a great movie for everyone in the family. the acting of dennis quaid could not been any better and that of the little boy that played his son to me really touched my heart.this movie will make you want to go after your dream. i laughed during this movie but i also shed alot of tears but they were tears of joy this is just a fun movie to watch. the dvd also had some good special features at the end of the movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: O.K. ACTIONER
Review: Standard Clint Eastwood potboiler benefits from a strong supporting cast that includes TWIN PEAKS' Lara Flynn Boyle, the always reliable Tom Skerritt (POISON IVY, the original ALIEN), and villains Raul Julia and Sonia Braga. Some good stunt sequences, but otherwise a routine cop programmer.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Interesting as Remember the Titains!
Review: I just watched this last night for the first time and thought it was very interesting I know it's about Baseball which I'm not a sports kind of girl but it's Disney and because I'm a really big Disney fan and seen every Disney movie you could name if your a Disney fan and are looking for a movie that will touch your heart get this because it's very good.14 yr. old veiwer

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfect Film
Review: This is the type of film that people will see and wonder how many years will go by before another one comes along. The portrayal of Jimmy Morris by Dennis Quaid is tremendous and certainly his best work in 10 years. Many films claim to be based on a true story and venture far away from the facts. This film follows the true story very closely. If you have ever had dreams as a child you will immediately respond to this outstanding film. I guarantee you will ride an emotional rollercoster throughout this wonderful movie and in the end it will make you think long and hard about giving one more try to that little something that has been gnawing at you for many years. I have viewed this film at least 10 times and I can't get enough. Thanks to Jim Morris for giving himself another chance and sharing his story with the rest of the world. Additionally, thanks to Dennis Quaid for the hard work he put into this film and bringing Jimmy Morris to our hearts.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good!
Review: I thought this movie was very well done. I like the special features to. The movie was great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Movie
Review: This is a excellent family movie, very uplifting inspiring story of Jim Morris.Wish we could have more movies like this. Thanks to the producers,director. and Disney for this good DVD with some fine extras.I highly recommend this DVD for purchase.This is G rated,and that is very refreshing.Dennis Quaid is a fine actor,all the actors were very good in this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It is not an unbelievable miracle if it really happened...
Review: It is a good thing the story of Jim Morris told in "The Rookie" is true because no one in Hollywood would have believed it otherwise. This is one of those films where those familiar with Morris's inspirational story keep turning to everybody else and saying "This really happened" over and over again. In fact, when you listen to featurette you will discover several true aspects of the story that were still considered to be just too unbelievable for audiences to accept.

Dennis Quaid's performance is at the heart of the film. Every time Quaid goes through his ritual before delivering a pitch and transforms himself into a relief pitcher, it is so believable. This is a performance where many of the most memorable moments are without dialogue, resting entirely on the look on Quaid's face and in his eyes. Also, it is great that Quaid is left-handed, because as any true baseball fan knows any doubts a general manager would have about a 36 year old throwing 98 miles an hour would be totally erased by the fact the guy was left-handed (look at Jesse Orosco). Special mention to the performances of Rachel Griffiths as Jim's wife and Angus T. Jones as their son Hunter, along with Royce D. Applegate as Henry the local storeowner and Chad Lindberg as the high school team's catcher Joe David West, all of whom represent a cast that never lets on they are reenacting a miracle.

I know this was a Disney film, but screenwriter Mike Rich ("Finding Forrester") makes that label irrelevant with his prologue with sets the tone for the film as a modern miracle play. The Morris story reminds me of the key question in "Signs" regarding the true nature of coincidences. What are the odds of a guy who has had four operations being able to pitch faster than he ever could as a kid when he is 36 years old and that he could make an outlandish bet with his team that would lead him to a major league tryout? Of course that left arm is the key to it all, because it is taking batting practice against a major-league caliber arm that allows Morris's team to win the beat and force their coach to take his shot.

"The Rookie" runs two hours because this really is several movies rolled into one (e.g., the little baseball team that could, trying to survive in the minor leagues, etc.). But the screenplay also includes a lot of subplots that flesh out the story (e.g., growing grass in West Texas, having a father who is clueless about baseball, etc.). However, "The Rookie" is not a suspense story; true stories rarely are for an audience. The pleasure here is, as the prologue suggests, in telling the story in all its richness, which means avoiding streamlining the story into the standard formula. Besides, there even is something of a surprise at the inevitable end. This film is a treat for baseball fans and accessible to the other half of the world.


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