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Hardball (2001)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 4.7/10
Reviews Counted: 99
Fresh: 38 | Rotten: 61

Although Hardball contains some touching moments, they are not enough to transcend the sports formula.

Average Rating: 4.6/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 16

Although Hardball contains some touching moments, they are not enough to transcend the sports formula.

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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 53,078

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Movie Info

Television actor-turned-director Brian Robbins follows up Varsity Blues (1999) and Ready to Rumble (2000) with another sports comedy. Keanu Reeves stars as Conor O'Neill, an underachiever and inveterate sports gambler who needs a bailout loan from a friend to pay off his mounting debt. As a condition for receiving the necessary funds, Conor is saddled with coaching a corporate-sponsored Little League baseball team for underprivileged youth in Chicago's notorious Cabrini Green housing project.

PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Drama, Comedy

Directed By: Brian Robbins

Written By: John Gatins

In Theaters: Sep 14, 2001 Wide

On DVD: Feb 19, 2002

Box Office:$39.7M

Paramount Pictures

A smarmy proposition passing itself off as family fun in the style of The Bad News Bears.

September 18, 2001 Comment

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Top Critic

Works where it counts, on the emotional level.

September 17, 2001 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Bob Graham

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Does surprisingly few lurches as it walks the tightrope between urban realism ... and family entertainment.

September 17, 2001 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Stephen Holden

New York Times

Top Critic

Had Paramount played more team ball, they coulda been a contender

February 24, 2011 Full Review Source: Old School Reviews

| Comment

John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews Source: Old School Reviews

This umpire calls Hardball out at first base.

December 24, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

This is less a hardball than a softball, without any curves or surprises.

September 17, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

| Comment

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

Esfor�ando-se ao m�ximo para arrancar l�grimas do espectador, o filme apela para todas as conven��es estabelecidas por produ��es semelhantes, falhando em todas as tentativas.

July 14, 2003 Comment

Pablo Villaca

Cinema em Cena

...Hardball is much darker and far more adult than the commercials and trailer want you to believe.

April 19, 2003 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Home runs for all the young actors with Reeves stuck at second base.

March 5, 2003 Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

| Comment

Harry Guerin

RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Hardball

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It's an incredibly dumb urban sports movie that tries to cover racism and male comradery. Keanu Reeves plays a gambling low life who gets stuck coaching kids, so it's nothing you haven't seen before. I can tell that it wasn't supposed to be good, but that doesn't make it okay.

January 10, 2010

Conner Rainwater

Super Reviewer

This hard-edged little dream deserves plenty of credit for avoiding the light comedy and fairy-tale conclusions by which underdog sports sagas usually are known, and would deserve an even higher rating were it not for Keanu Reeves's wooden (as usual) performance in the lead role. Really fantastic and emotional home run story.

December 17, 2006

Dean McKenna

Super Reviewer

Hardball Quotes

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1. Ray-Ray: Coach Conor? You're not really trying to get Ms. Wilkes, are you?
2. Conor O'Neill: No.
3. Ray-Ray: Good. 'Cause I already tried and she ain't havin' it.
4. G-Baby: Yeah, me too.
– Submitted by Alexandra C (8 months ago)
1. G-Baby: All right, let me break it down to you right quick.
– Submitted by Alexandra C (8 months ago)
1. Conor O'Neill: One of the most important things in life is showing up, and I'm blown away with your ability to show up.
– Submitted by Jason G (11 months ago)