Rookie of the Year

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Rookie of the Year

PG

1993

1h 43m

Kids & Family

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

A freak accident causes 12-year-old Little League player Henry (Thomas Ian Nicholas) to become such a powerful and accurate pitcher that the Chicago Cubs sign the junior high student to a contract. Unprepared for such a high-pressure environment, Henry falters until aging fast baller Chet Steadman (Gary Busey) takes him under his wing and teaches him how to play in the big leagues. Meanwhile, his mother's venal boyfriend (Bruce Altman) tries to sell Henry's contract to a hated opposing team.

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Critics Consensus

Rookie of the Year gets some laughs from its novel premise, but a high strikeout rate on jokes and sentimental fouls keeps this comedy firmly in the minor leagues.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

3/4

This movie is not likely to make my list of the year's best, but I can remember those miserable Little League games and so in a modest way I'm grateful for this film. It is pure wish-fulfillment, 40 years after I needed it.

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Danielle Solzman

Dugout Dirt

Jul 23, 2023

4/5

Rookie of the Year may feature a preposterous premise but it still remains an entertaining baseball comedy three decades later.

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Preston Barta

Fresh Fiction

Mar 7, 2023

‘Rookie of the Year’ doesn’t deserve the critical bench after 30 years. It’s an ace family sports movie!

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Malcolm L. Johnson

Hartford Courant

Jun 4, 2018

Inning after inning, Rookie of the Year goes down swinging, ignominiously. It's strictly bush league stuff.

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Quentin Curtis

Independent on Sunday

Dec 6, 2017

If you don't know baseball, you won't understand the climax. If you do, you'll find it preposterous.

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Randy White

Common Sense Media

Jan 2, 2011

4/5

Far-fetched fantasy is good-natured fun for all.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 7, 2026

This is not a good movie!

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Emerson H.

@movielover9 Jun 25, 2026

One of the absolute stupidest films I have ever seen, the logic in this movie is non existent, but some good laughs keep it from being a total misfire

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Crazy P

@RT75776803 Jun 13, 2026

Goofy baseball movie yet tolerable. A little predictable yet enjoyable baseball entertainment

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Mike N

@MYC_mike Mar 2, 2026

Personally I think Little Big League is better, but this one is more entertaining and comedic.

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Dominic F

@Dominic299 Feb 24, 2026

Me and my mom saw this movie and she thought it was the best and so did I. My favorite part is when he says you want to show me up Henry! My mom hated the guy that chocked on sun flower seeds

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Lincoln B.

@SpiderFan32 Feb 22, 2026

Sorry, it’s just not a good movie. The main character had very little personality and it wasn’t funny. I love an 80’s-90’s comedy but the brilliance of movies like The Sandlot, The Naked Gun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Field of Dreams is absent. I did think the plot line with the mom was cute and Rocket was fun at times but the other 70% of the movie is stuffed with cheap fluff that’s just stupid. Daniel Stern’s character is extremely annoying (there is such a thing as overacting). At times, the friends are fun but those times aren’t frequent. Well not unwatchable but really only just a cheesy, somewhat entertaining, to kill 2 hours.

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Daniel Stern

Director

Thomas Ian Nicholas

Henry Rowengartner

Gary Busey

Chet Steadman

Albert Hall

Sal Martinella

Amy Morton

Mary Rowengartner

Dan Hedaya

Larry Fisher

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Synopsis

A freak accident causes 12-year-old Little League player Henry (Thomas Ian Nicholas) to become such a powerful and accurate pitcher that the Chicago Cubs sign the junior high student to a contract. Unprepared for such a high-pressure environment, Henry falters until aging fast baller Chet Steadman (Gary Busey) takes him under his wing and teaches him how to play in the big leagues. Meanwhile, his mother's venal boyfriend (Bruce Altman) tries to sell Henry's contract to a hated opposing team.

Director: Daniel Stern
Producer: Robert Harper
Screenwriter: Sam Harper
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 7, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.1M
Runtime: 1h 43m

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