Fear Strikes Out (1957)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Based on the true story of troubled baseball star Jimmy Piersall, Fear Strikes Out is an emotionally compelling drama featuring excellent performances from Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden.
Fear Strikes Out Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Jim Piersall
as John Piersall
as Doctor Brown
as Mary Piersall
as Jimmy (younger)
as Mrs. John Piersall
as Phil
as Alice
as Bernie Sherwill
as Joe Cronin
as Radio Announcer
as Bill Tracy
as Umpire
as Sandy Allen
as Ballplayer Holding Trophy
as Reporter
as Boy in Car Assisting Jimmy Up Stairway
as Reporter
as Intern
as Nurse
as Intern
as Nurse
as Nurse
as Reporter Evans
as Reporter Slade
as Nurse
as Reporter
as Policeman
as Attendant
as Secretary
Critic Reviews for Fear Strikes Out
All Critics (22) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (4)
Fear holds up well, and the climactic showdown between father and son offers a tremendously appealing resolution.
Fear Strikes Out rolls Frank Merriwell and Sigmund Freud into a ball and then lines it out for a solid hit.
Anthony Perkins, in the young Piersall role, delivers a remarkably sustained performance of a sensitive young man, pushed too fast to the limits of his ability to cope with life's pressures.
Mr. Perkins plays the young fellow excellently, not only conveying the gathering torment but also actually looking like a ballplayer on the field.
It's a little poky and tentative, but a promising start by the Pakula-Mulligan team.
Absorbing, but rather clinical, in the rubber-gloves style of 50s television drama.
Audience Reviews for Fear Strikes Out
Very moving tale with extremely well cast leads. Perkins twitchy nervous energy is perfect for displaying Piersall spiral into mental illness and Malden's bombastic personality is able to convey a man who crushes his son's spirit without even realizing it. The look on his face when he becomes aware of the toll he's exacted on his child is heartbreaking. An excellent film.
Super Reviewer
Perkins is perfect in this role of a crazy baseball player. And Malden does a great job playing his dad. Plus, it's a true story. I liked it it's a very dramatic movie.
Super Reviewer
Anthony Perkins seems to do his best work when playing psychotic characters.
Super Reviewer
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