'The Rookie' a good sports flick

The Rookie - G\nStarring: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths\nDirected by: John Lee Hancock\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nAfter a slow start, "The Rookie" takes full swing and becomes the heartwarming tale of a person compelled to follow his dreams. The portrayal of a young Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid), a bonafide military brat who's constantly moving, drags on and takes a while to develop. There is a struggle to portray the relationship with his father (Brian Cox). \nThen all of a sudden, young Morris becomes old Morris -- a high school chemistry teacher and baseball coach whose dreams of pitching in the big leagues come to a halt because of an arm injury. The jump into adulthood happens quickly, and stops dragging along here, giving Quaid ample opportunity to give an excellent performance.\nImpressed by Morris' ability to bring the heat, his team cuts a deal with him to try out for the Major League if the team wins the District Tournament. Morris agrees -- using it mostly as a motivational tool. \nWhen the team prevails, so does Morris. His plan to tryout takes a curve when his fastball gets clocked at 98 mph -- striking interest from scouts and landing him a gig in the minor league. While struggling through the minors, you can't help but feel the moral dilemna Morris is going through. He misses his family and can't afford to make ends meet, but his wife Lorrie (Rachel Griffiths) insists he carry on his dream in lieu of setting a good example for their son Hunter (Angus T. Jones). \nHunter is a likeable kid with his humorous quips, but mostly his contribution is to bring a cute angle to Morris' struggle with being away from his family and travelling hundreds of miles on a bus to play road games. \nI was constantly wondering if he would throw in the towel, but was at the edge of my seat rooting for this middle-aged man to make his Big League pitching debut. "The Rookie" gave me the feeling of being at the ballpark and is a story well told in a G-rated setting. It warms the heart of everyone around and will have you fighting back tears several times throughout.\n

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