Tiger Town

Rating:
Summary: A DISNEY TREASURE COMES TO DVD
Review: "Tiger Town" is 75 minutes of unpretentious, lovingly rendered magic. Written and directed by 25-year-old Alan Shapiro, "Tiger Town" tells the story of a 12-year-old Detroit Tigers fan, and a veteran ballplayer -- patterned after Al Kaline -- who leads his team to a pennant after a midseason slump.

The boy, played by Justin Henry, believes that he can will his idol into performing well through fierce concentration in the stands. He and the seasoned slugger, played by Roy Scheider, meet in only one brief scene. They have a connection, but it would ruin it to label it. You could call it a film about baseball and faith, but that sounds corny and this film isn't.

Much of the production focues on baseball action, and it's elegantly and excitingly executed with a fervent fan's eye for intriguing detail. Crisp photography, adroit sound modulation, deft editing and a bright, economical score all add to the impact of this charismatic mood piece. The film was shot at Tiger Stadium, and at other Detroit locations, which are evocatively conveyed.

Henry's low-key performance in this film is winsome without being protypically Disneyesque. As the ballplayer with the blazing bat, Scheider doesn't have many lines, but the range of emotions registered on his face during his triumphs and slumps are priceless. Former Tigers manager and baseball legend Sparky Anderson, Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell, and ex-Supreme Mary Wilson make cameo appearances and enhance the authentic flavor of the film.

But it's Shapiro's success, right down to the tension he builds as Henry almost misses the final game. Packed with inventiveness, vitality and economy, "Tiger Town" strikes home. Shapiro's brought of a gem of a film.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I remember hearing about the movie. I was told that it was based on Al Kaline and the 1968 Tigers. I was expecting a movie about the ups and downs of the 1968 championship team. When I saw the movie in 1984 during a free Disney preview I was a little surprised to see the Tigers were playing Milwaukee--there was no Milwaukee team in 1968 and I was surprised to see Sparky Anderson in the dugout. He hadn't even begun managing in major league baseball. Instead what I saw was a young boy's devotion to a team. It was like all the other corny baseball stories. A team is in last place and doing really bad and then someone makes a discovery and because of that discovery the team plays well and then on the last day of the season the team is tied for first place and is playing the other team but for some reason something goes wrong and the team doesn't have what they need to win and they are behind in the game and then after two outs and two strikes someone hits a home run and they win. Also if there were 50 games left of the season, why was the boy attending school--unless it was summer school. In most school district if there are 50 games left of the season school is not in session. It was probably well done for someone who wanted to see a typical corny movie but I was expecting to see a complete documentary of the 1968 season.

Rating:
Summary: A Disney Classic!
Review: I remember when I was 8 or 9 years old, they showed this movie in our school for my grade class. Even at this young age, I was drawn to the movie and how the sport Baseball played out. It's from this movie that got me into the sport and playing Softball through out my childhood and teen years.
I'm very grateful that Disney has released this and I look forward to showing this classic to my little nephews. :)

Thanks Disney! :)

Rating:
Summary: Tiger Town Pride...
Review: This is a must see for all die hard Tiger fans, especially for the scenes of old great Tiger Stadium, Go Tigers in 2005, but never forget the Roar of '84!!!