Rookie of the Year

A few weeks ago, during spring break, the Wifey and decided to take a trip down memory lane and watch a movie that we loved as children. The movie would have to be simple and fun enough to fit our laid-back mood while also befitting of the newly born spring season we were supposedly celebrating (albeit indoors). Scouring the Netflix instant, we came across a movie we could both agree on and we hoped would still hold the same magic we remembered from childhood.

The film shows a summer in the life of Henry Rowengartner (played by Thomas Ian Nicholas in his pre-"American Pie" days). In spring, Henry breaks his arm, only to find out later that the tendons in his arm have healed extremely tight. This twist-of-nature has given him an unnaturally strong arm - the kind that major league pitchers dream of having. In a whirlwind, he is signed by the Chicago Cubs to pitch and is taken under the wing of aging journeyman pitcher Chet Steadman (the ever-gruff Gary Busey). Riding his medical miracle arm, Henry brings the Cubs to the brink of the World Series...

It would be easy to start listing the flaws in this movie. The fact that Major League Baseball prohibits signing players under 18 to a major league contract stands out. As does the fact that Henry's school schedule neatly fits the narrative's need to develop friendships and middle-school romance. This doesn't even begin to touch on things like the laws of physics or the technicalities of how the baseball playoff system works.

Even with all these glaring errors, I must admit that I found the movie almost as charming as I remembered it. It reminded me of how, at age eight, I imagined life could be in a slightly alternate universe (which doesn't necessarily say much about Daniel Stern's direction). The only somewhat well-developed characters are the children, while the adults are broad and over-acted caricatures of humans (see: Daniel Stern, Dan Hedaya, John Candy in this film). Time and reality are flexible and generally irrelevant - but isn't that how childhood is? And how about that David-versus-Goliath, good-versus-evil climax? Pure childhood fantasy, but also pure entertainment.

Not the best film ever made, but definitely entertaining. I'm glad I re-watched it eighteen years after I first saw it in the theatre. I recommend it for some casual fun for a lazy afternoon - the same way I recommend watching baseball.

Director: Daniel Stern

Writer: Sam Harper