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Movies / On DVD / The Rookie
The Rookie

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The Rookie (2002)

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Reviews Counted:139

Fresh:114

Rotten:25

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: A heart-warming sports flick, The Rookie greatly benefits from understated direction and the emotional honesty Dennis Quaid brings to the role of Jim Morris.

Rated: G

Runtime: 2 hrs 8 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:Mar 29, 2002 Wide

Box Office: $75,456,736

Synopsis: Every evening, Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) is out practicing pitching. His minor league career ended with a shoulder injury 12 years ago. Now, Jim coaches a struggling high school team. When he tries... Every evening, Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) is out practicing pitching. His minor league career ended with a shoulder injury 12 years ago. Now, Jim coaches a struggling high school team. When he tries to motivate them, they challenge him--if they reach the play offs, he must try out for the majors. The team starts to win, and makes the play offs. Not realizing how strong his arm has become, Jim is apprehensive as he sets off for the try outs with his son and baby daughter. The coaches recognize him, but think he has brought a young prospect. Late in the day, as he's changing a diaper, Jim is called. When he throws his first pitch, he surprises the coaches--and himself. Director John Lee Hancock, director of photography John Schwartzman, and composer Carter Burwell have made a glowing movie based on the true story of Jim Morris, investing it with a touch of myth. Dennis Quaid is convincing as the pitcher. His scenes with Brian Cox, playing his father, bristle with unresolved anger. The great Australian actress Rachel Griffiths shows her extraordinary chameleon-like ability--as Jim's tough-minded wife, she captures perfectly a woman who has to deal with life's practicalities and with her husband's dreams. [More]

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Brian Cox, Jay Hernandez

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Brian Cox, Jay Hernandez, Beth Grant

Director: John Lee Hancock

Director: John Lee Hancock
Screenwriter: Mike Rich
Producer: Mark Johnson, Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray
Composer: Carter Burwell
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

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Release:

Mar 4, 2008

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Reviews for The Rookie

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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It spreads the inspirational butter thicker than the diamond action and buries the school team beneath Morris’ quest for a new career, but develops a lyrical sense of what it’s like to resurrect self-worth and chase one’s dreams.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Earnest to the point of blandness.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/01/08
Channel 4 Film

The Rookie is one of those rare, wonderful 'formula' films that ... favors understatement over exaggeration, subtlety over sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
09/09/07
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

I would almost rather have seen an A&E biography than a concocted Hollywood parable of unrealized dreams.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

All the uplift could easily get cloying, but director John Lee Hancock knows how to keep things in control, and the whole is surprisingly satisfying.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/26/07
Hank Sartin
Hank Sartin
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A fine example of heartwarming real-life drama, with performances that ring true and some terrific moments that befit a classic American Dream story.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Angie Errigo
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine

My all-time favorite baseball movie.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

If they gave an Oscar for Best Performance in a Mediocre Movie, Dennis Quaid should already be clearing his mantelpiece.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out

It shows us that things may not be like they used to, but we can still enjoy the celebration of things past.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
02/01/04
Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
FilmStew.com

Baseball season is here, folks, and The Rookie is a good opening day experience.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
09/05/03
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

Sem apelar para o melodrama, o filme (baseado em uma história real) emociona e inspira o espectador.

comment Comment
08/21/03
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Credit to the actors for still making it such a heartwarming affair, but like its leading character, The Rookie had the potential to be so much more.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
08/18/03
Harry Guerin
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

...Quaid proves that this is the sort of role he was born to play.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Lovers of the genre will be surprisingly entertained. You know who you are.

Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
03/05/03
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

...This is a great story everyone should get a chance to see—a good family movie about someone achieving his dream.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

The strong and silent naturalistic performance of Dennis Quaid scores a strikeout.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/13/02
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Despite the inherently moving story and the respectable work of director John Lee Hancock and the cast, something remains absent throughout the entire film: a certain sense of verve and personality.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
Film Threat

John Lee Hancock handles this Disney production with at least some taste and skill.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
11/19/02
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
Guardian [UK]

The Rookie camina con los pasos no de una estrella, no de un campeón, sino de un simple ser humano que escucha la última llamada a escena, el último aviso del destino y pese a tener las apuestas en contra, decide tomarlo

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
10/26/02
Luis Martinez
Luis Martinez
Cinenganos

The corn Kevin Costner cut down to build his baseball diamond in Field of Dreams has been used to make The Rookie.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/26/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
 
 
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Latest News for The Rookie

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