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My husband and I had the privilege of traveling to Tampa earlier this week to preview Disney’s Million Dollar Arm which will be in theaters everywhere May 16, 2014. I LOVE sports movies that are based on true stories. There is no better story than that of the triumphs and failures of the human spirit.
About Million Dollar Arm
Based on a true story, sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) finds that business has changed and things aren’t going well for his career. In a last ditch effort to save his livelihood he concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a major league baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “The Million Dollar Arm.” With the help of cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin), he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal from “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from “Life of Pi”), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India, the boys, who have never left their rural villages, are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell), learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.
Directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy, Walt Disney Pictures’ drama “Million Dollar Arm” stars Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell and Alan Arkin. The producers are Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth. The executive producers are Palak Patel, Kevin Halloran, Bill Simmons and Connor Schell. The film will be release in the United States on May 16, 2014.
The Mom Maven’s Thoughts
We enjoyed Million Dollar Arm. The movie is a bit slow at points but the story was interesting and the acting was very good. Usually I get sucked into the characters, and become very empathetic towards them but that didn’t happen in this movie. I did tear up a bit once near the end of the movie, but that was it. Jon Hamm did a great job playing the often conflicted, JB Bernstein.
The movie is rated PG, but I don’t think kids under age 10 will really like it. The few young kids in the theater when we saw it were very restless. I feel that is because this is not a film with a lot of action to keep kids interested. Million Dollar Arm weaves a powerful story about reaching for your dreams through hard work and perseverance.
If you have no knowledge of India and its culture as well as a love for baseball-this movie may not be for you. We enjoyed the movie and are thankful we got to experience it.
This sounds and looks like one to see!! I too enjoy this type of movie.
Thank for the review. I didn’t watch it yet. It looks very interesting to me. It is also on our list to check out this May amount others.
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