The Scout
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Movie Reviews of The Scout
Movie Review: The Scout, by Albert Brooks
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought as a requested gift for a friend's sister living in Brisbane, Australia (down-under, not the Govenator's homeland). She wanted the movie and it was obscenely expensive in Oz, cheap on Amazon.Movie Review: Brooks hits a home run!
Summary: 4 Stars
This film was better than I expected. When I saw Albert Brooks in it I expected to see his usual self absorbed, neurotic, west coast Woddy Allen trip. No so. When I looked at the credits I noticed that for the first time (in recent memory) Brooks didn't write, direct, produce, in short forgo his usual Jerry Lewis routine of running the whole show. And in doing so he (excuse the pun here) hit's a home run! He's just great as baseball scout Al Percole who after failing to bring a winner to the Yankees is relegated to the Chili circuit as "punishment" from the Yankee general manager played wonderfully by Lane Smith. But instead of coming up with heartburn from eating the very questionable food (we see people down there chewing on animal legs at games) he discovers Steve Nebraska the greatest ball player since Babe Ruth played oustandingly by Brendan Fraser. Fraser matches Brooks laugh for laugh and in doing so the two make this a very entertaining movie. Not an easy thing to do considering there is not one love interest in either man's life. The movie rests squarely on the "buddy" formula which works very well here. In fact it's more of a father son relationship instead of a bonding buddy movie. So if you like quirky comedy's with the added benefit of a sports theme you're sure to like this one. So run out and rent.....no better make that buy The Scout. I'm sure you're going to want to "catch" this one again and again!Movie Review: as usual Brendan Fraser was playing dumb and did it well.
Summary: 4 Stars
have you ever noticed that Brendan Fraser is always acting as an idiot? for example: George of the Jungle, Airheads, the Scout, every time he acts downright dumb, but for once it made sense. a scout (Albert Brooks) for the New York Yankees is sent on a grudge trip to mexico after the last player he hired turned out to be a total fluke. there he finds the greatest baseball player that ever lived, Steve Nabraska who choses in the end to play for the Yankees; but before he can play he needs permission from a psychologist that he's not topsy-turvy, which he is, and after his appointment with the doctor he fails, and this is where the movie twists, the dumbness and wildness of Brendan Fraser will have you staring crosseyed at his wackiness.Movie Review: Very Strange Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
It starts out almost as a comedy but it turns dramatic halfway through.Definitely not on my top ten baseball movie lists but it is worth watching at least once.Brandon Frasier does a great job as does Albert brooks. Just seems like they switched writers in the middle of the show.Movie Review: Good Actors Do a Lot with a Little; Shoddy Sports Scenes
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Scout" starts out with tremendous promise and gradually loses steam as the plot loses focus and several loose ends are not tied up, but the movie's weakest element is its complete lack of authenticity with the baseball action scenes. The project smacks of a Hollywood pitch that never got entirely thought through.
Imagine the filmmaker pitching the studio on this movie. "I've got Albert Brooks, and he's going to be a pompous blowhard of a Yankee baseball scout -- we've already got Steinbrenner on board, as long as he gets a cameo or two -- who uses his sarcasm to mask his underlying insecurity. He snags a kid who he thinks is going to be the next big thing, so we get some classic Brooks wordplay, but the kid upchucks all over the pitcher's mound at Yankee stadium, so -- and get this! -- Brooks gets exiled to Mexico! And after a while in Mexico, he meets the next great ballplayer -- this kid is Ruth meets Clemens! We've got Brendan Frazer -- he's the next big thing, too! -- to play the kid, with a great arm, but he's a loose cannon. And he comes to New York to pitch for the Yankees! So, it's Pygmalion meets Bull Durham meets Broadcast News, but it's got a heart."
And that's as far as the story really goes. The first half-hour of the movie is hilarious as Brooks rises and falls (one of the best lines of the movie, from the exec who exiles Brooks to Central-Southern Mexico), is, "I thought about firing you -- this was better." And Brooks is probably the perfect actor to play an obnoxious New Yorker sitting next to a Mexican baseball fan who is eager to share his ballyard snack, a barbequed pig foot.
As long as Brooks is the focus of the story, "The Scout" works. But unfortunately, the movie should have been called, "The Scout and the Flake," 'cause Brendan Fraser's character, Steve Nebraska (what the heck kind of a name is that?), intrudes. We never learn why he's playing in Mexico, or why he's such a flake, or why he alternates from clueless charm to near-murderous rage, or other similar things. We also don't learn much about the appropriately-named Harriet Aaron, psychiatrist (Dianne Wiesst), whom we think could be Steve's long-lost mother after a couple of Harvard-related hints, but this goes nowhere.
But the movie is still working essentially in these scenes, if only through the strength of the actors -- this is a darn good cast.
The movie really falls apart during the actual baseball scenes. Fraser is clearly an athlete (not everyone could pull off "The Mummy" the way he does), but he equally clearly not a baseball player. His throwing motion is completely unbelievable for a guy who can supposedly throw 100+ miles per hour -- which the movie underscores by never showing a complete wind-up-to-catcher's mitt shot of Steve pitching. Fraser's swing (he's also supposed to hit like Ruth) is also not up to par -- Kevin Costner, Robert Redford, Tom Berenger, and even Tom Selleck have all been much more believable at the plate. The obviously-staged baseball scenes undercut the movie and wipe out whatever suspension of disbelief that you may have developed.
The movie also makes a strange decision at the end. We get a long, drawn-out scene where Steve teeters on the brink of melt-down and Al Brooks tries to save him. Ultimately, Steve ends up on the mound -- which should be the victory/climactic scene. It's never been in question that Steve can throw and hit the ball with the best ever, so the victory was whether he could make it on the mound in the first place. Instead, the movie extends the scene by showing (well, or nearly showing, since we never really see Steve pitch) Steve win the game in historic fashion. This scene just jangled and reminded me that the action scenes are subpar.
Still, fans of Albert Brooks should enjoy this movie for what it is, and fans of young Mr. Fraser will not be disappointed. Overall, a good acting effort with half of a film.
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