Hardball
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Movie Reviews of Hardball
Movie Review: Enragingly Honest - Encouragingly Hopeful.
Summary: 5 Stars
A film, not unlike poetry projects different messages to different people.
This story begins where Conor, a hardened gambler finds himself on his knees in a sanctuary. The priest asks him if he's looking for faith or forgiveness. "I'm looking for the balls to cover the spread." He replies with submissive desperation. He returns to a bar where he loses himself in the purposeless world of gambling, finds himself in the desperate situation of not having enough money to cover his gambling debt, and winds up being beaten up by a loan shark. His desperation leads him to accept a job coaching a baseball team that consists of underprivileged kids from the crime infested projects for $500.00 a week. The team is short two players. Their school teacher, Sister Wilkes, played by Diane Lane, won't allow the two members who complete the team to play until they have read their book reports. Conor takes it upon himself to negotiate with her, and ends up agreeing to tutor the boys. Initially the coaching starts off as merely a means to an end, but as he spends more time with the boys and becomes familiarized with the dangers to which they are exposed and the conditions under which they are forced to live, he recognizes something more important than himself and his own problems. He teaches the boys to respect one another. He helps them to believe in themselves. One day when Conor presents himself in the classroom, dressed in pants that, to the amusement of the children are way too short for him, he finds himself being affected by the words of Kofi, who is requested by Siter Wilkes to give a review on the book that they were assigned to read. "Where I'm from do nobody father come back."
In a sequence of events that follow, Conor finds himself trying to cheer the boys up when they are down. The scene where Conor waves his arms in the air, and sings to B.I.G.'s rap song "Big Poppa" in an attempt to help Miles with his rhythm which he needs in order to pitch well, is both entertaining and heartwarming. For me, the best scene is portrayed when Conor reaches a cross-road, and has to choose between gambling his winnings and treating the Kekambas to a big league game. He chooses to treat the boys to the game, and on seeing the ecstasy on their faces, he derives obvious pleasure at allowing his own inner peace to parallel the happiness he sees in the children. His facial expresion reads - "Yeah, now this feels right!" After a profoundly tragic event, Conor is astounded by the boys' staying power and their ability to always show up; he tells them so.
In a world where we are exposed to an accelerated severing of the threads of human kindness, it is uplifting to watch a film in which the premise encompasses the message -- through the fertilizer a flower may grow. As for the role of Conor, no one could have played the role as perfectly as Keanu Reeves, as he possesses a quality that projects his own isolating sadness, which parallels that of the boys. The boys who played the team members of the Kekambas were outstanding actors. I highly recommend this film for all parents to see.
Movie Review: Charming Keanu
Summary: 5 Stars
In general I find Keanu Reeves to be stiff, wooden and lacking in acting skills. This is one of only 4 movies I really liked and appreciated him in. (Speed, The Watcher and The Gift are the others). In Hardball which is based on a true story Reeves plays a ne-er do well gambler with a big debt to pay off and ends up coaching an inner city little league team. The kids on the team are coping with all of the ills of project living you can imagine - random shootings, death, drugs, gangs, intimidation. Baseball offers them some respite from their reality. One of the sweetest scenes of this movie is when Reeves takes the kids to see their first major league baseball game and they yell to Sammy Sosa who acknowledges them...sweet, sweet, sweet. Watching the kids and spectators start singing Big Poppa by Biggie Smalls during a game is a hoot and a half. The ending is such a tear jerker that it is almost embarrassing to feel so moved by such a small story. And realize that it's a true story.
All in all this is a terrific little movie. Reeves and the children are truly a joy to watch. The story jerks your emotions all over the place but it never feels cloying or fake - just a bit manipulated. It's a shame this movie had very little support and was only in theaters for a few minutes. Consequently I often give this as a gift to people so they'll have the opportunity to see such a lovely moving film.
Movie Review: Hardball Is Reeves' Best Performance Yet!
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems that everywhere I look here, people are trashing the acting ability (or, as some might say, the lack thereof) of Keanu Reeves. However, I feel he gives his finest performance in "Hardball." Here, he plays Conor O'Neil, a down-on-his-luck gambler/ticket scalper who's in deep with the bookies. To get out of his debts, he takes a job coaching a rag-tag band of inner city Chicago youths in their baseball league. The plot is somewhat predictable...kids who don't trust anyone, the coach who doesn't want to be there...respect eventually earned...etc., etc. Diane Lane makes a welcome return from who-knows-where as a teacher who eventually develops a close friendship with Conor. The kids, most of whom are first-time actors, add life to the story, but it's Keanu who makes the film worth watching. Here, he shows real emotion, real change, and some nice moments of comic clumsiness that will make you laugh. I don't care what people may say about my Keanu; he made me cry at the end of the film, and I felt that his charcater truly grew and changed from the coaching experience. A very good film, but, as some have said before, NOT for young children. It does take place in the Chicago Projects, and there is violence in the film. NOT for people who get upset too easily.Movie Review: Home Run!
Summary: 5 Stars
Hardball is one great movie. Keanu Reeves yet again does an amazing job as an actor. The kids in the movie also do an awesome job. My favorite is little G-Baby. The movie is about a baseball team in the projects where many bad things happen to people. The kids are not allowed out at night because gangs like to steal their stuff. Keanu plays a man who owes a lot of money to different people and is too poor to pay them off. He goes to a friend who says he'll pay him $500 for 10 weeks to coach this baseball team. Keanu accepts because he desperatly needs the money otherwise he'll get himself into more trouble. When he gets there he is left by himself with these kids. When the one kid goes home he sees gangs and gets really nervous. He walks really quick so he doesn't get hurt. Then two kids knock him down and take his stuff.This movie is very moving at the end. I don't want to spoil it for you so I'm not going to tell you what happens. If you go and rent this movie or just buy the DVD I gurantee you'll be pleased with your decison. ENJOY
Movie Review: Hardball Excitement
Summary: 5 Stars
Keanu Reeves stars in this story that might best be described as Bad News Bears in the projects. Conor O'Neill (Reeves) is a charming ne'er-do-well with a disturbing gambling addiction. His penchant for betting on the wrong teams leaves him owing several thousand dollars to very violent people, and he ends up coaching a children's baseball team to pay off his debt. The movie skimps a bit on process: the kids start out as terrible players and become better but we don't see how; Conor starts caring but we don't see why. As by-the-numbers movies go, though, it isn't a bad one. The young actors in the cast are talented and understated. Most of the kids' characters are only barely fleshed out by the script, but this keeps the movie from being hijacked by extra-cute mugging. Parents should be cautioned--this movie has some very violent scenes that will frighten young children, and swearing is depicted as precocious and adorable. Still, like a baseball game, it isn't a bad way to spend your time.