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Rookie, The
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // G // August 27, 2002
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"The Rookie" is an example of a fine film - albeit one that did not carry high expectations - becoming an unexpected success. Star Dennis Quaid is a very good actor, but had not recently proven his box office clout. The combination of the G-rating and 127-minute running time also seemed to be against the feature. However, Disney seemed to have enough confidence in director John Lee Hancock's feature, providing a strong marketing campaign. While David Fincher's "Panic Room" may have won the opening weekend, "The Rookie"'s $16m open was a suprise and continued word-of-mouth took the $22m film north of the $75m mark. The result: not only has Quaid's star risen once again, but director John Lee Hancock has reportedly taken over the high-profile "The Alamo" when Ron Howard's attempt at the project was deemed too costly by Disney.
In a time where audiences are dismayed about a possible baseball strike and the sport's fan-base is quickly falling apart, "The Rookie" does an admirable job recreating the sort of sights, sounds and emotions that made the sport so beloved in the first place. The film stars Dennis Quaid as real-life pitcher Jimmy Morris, who eventually became one of major league's oldest rookies at the age of 35. The film opens with Morris as a child, played by Trevor Morgan. Although it's obvious that the kid has talent, his father (Brian Cox) largely ignores his son's potential. Combine that with the fact that the Texas town's most popular sport isn't baseball, it's football.
As the film flash forwards from childhood to adulthood, we find that Jimmy is still in the same small town, teaching and coaching the school's baseball team, as well. When his players find out the kind of pitches their coach is capable of, they make him a deal: if they actually win the division, Jimmy has to try out for the majors.
I found a lot to like about "The Rookie". Director Hancock, working from a script from Mike Rich (based upon "The Oldest Rookie: Big League Dreams from a Small Town Guy" by Jim Morris and Joel Engel) has a good sense of mood, tone and atmosphere. The film opens with a slow, leisurely pace and continues to move along at that clip. However, the picture allows the well-written and convincingly realistic characters to develop and, as such, the pace doesn't become an issue because the characters are involving. We've seen small town sports films like this a thousand times before, but this one presents enough exciting moments and a strong enough lead performance that the film feels fresh. In addition, several quiet moments are crafted and built-up wonderfully, such as one little moment where Morris uses a slightly malfunctioning highway radar gun to measure his pitching speed.
I enjoyed several of the film's performances, as well. Quaid's relaxed performance was highly entertaining, as the actor clearly portrayed the emotions of a man who is awakening once again now that his dreams are starting to look like they could become reality. Australian actress Rachel Griffiths also has several fine scenes as Morris's wife. Even the baseball players, played by Jay Hernandez ("Crazy/beautiful") and others, are all nicely developed characters.
Other elements worthy of appreciation: the Coen brothers' usual composer Carter Burwell's score, which highlights the emotion of a scene without underlining it or ever becoming too sappy. Hancock's direction is equally enjoyable; in a film that could have been loaded with sappiness, the drama is often very well-played and sincere. I was also impressed that, for a G-rated movie, the lack of foul language felt natural and not as if everything had been toned down. In another stray from the usual, the later portion of the film also doesn't make everything look so easy, showing the work and long hours of a life in baseball.
Also, John Schwartzman ("Armageddon")'s cinematography is beautiful without ever calling attention away from the characters. Jon Johnston's sound design clearly captures every crack of the bat, cheer and ambient sound. Production design, set decoration and art direction are also all excellent. For a $22m production, "The Rookie" achieves a grander appearance than its budget would suggest.
The film is not without concerns, although they're fairly minor. While I enjoyed the pace of the picture and the characters, the 127-minute picture could have been even a little better had it been tightened up by a few minutes. I found the film predictable at a few turns and obviously, anyone who saw the film's trailers knows where it's headed, but I really didn't mind a great deal. Overall, "The Rookie" was a very pleasant surprise - a great family film that's very entertaining, sincere and inspirational.
The DVD
VIDEO: "The Rookie" is presented by Disney in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The film's cinematographer is John Schwartzman, who brings the same sort of eye for idealic images as he has often shown in Michael Bay's films, only here without the speed and fast edits. The result is a film that lovingly captures the surrounding Texas landscape and crafts some classic images.
The DVD's presentation was largely excellent. Sharpness and detail were fine, if not remarkable. The DVD presents the film's occasional slight softness well; while there are occasional moments that appear slightly on the softer side, the image still often remained crisp and well-defined otherwise. Even the softer moments offered enough definition to be pleasant.
Unfortunately, the presentation was not entirely without flaws. While only slight amounts were spotted, there were a few instances of edge enhancement. On a positive note, no pixelation was spotted and the print seemed clean with the exception of the final minute or two of the film, where some specks and marks appeared.
The film's color palette was largely earthy and dry, although some brighter colors occasionally shined through. Colors remained natural and accurate, with no smearing or other faults. Overall, a very nice transfer.
SOUND: "The Rookie" is presented by Disney in Dolby Digital 5.1. The film's sound design is done by Jon Johnston, who recently won an Oscar for his team's incredible work on "U-571". The soundtrack for "The Rookie" isn't nearly as showy, but it does impress on its own more subtle terms. All of the baseball-related sound effects are crisply and clearly captured, while some nice, quiet ambience is often offered, as well. The surrounds are not put to a great deal of use, but they do provide a few minor sound effects and Carter Burwell's score.
In regards to Burwell's score, I very much appreciated the presence it has in the soundtrack. Not only does it fill the room nicely, but it's presented with an usually high amount of warmth, richness and clarity. Dialogue and sound effects also were crisp and natural-sounding.
MENUS:
Both main & sub-menus contain nice, subtle animation and in addition, there are animated (if a little overlong) transitions between main & sub-menus.
EXTRAS:
The Inspirational Story: This 20-minute documentary goes into greater detail about the real Jim Morris, who is interviewed throughout this documentary, which is sort of hosted by screenwriter Mike Rich. We get a bit more detail about Morris's working with the team, while the former major leaguer also gets a chance to relive that first strikeout.
Commentary: This is a commentary from director John Lee Hancock and actor Dennis Quaid. A mostly relaxed and casual chat, the two point out small details about each scene and discuss what they enjoy about the film. Some more technical or production-oriented information is occasionally thrown out, as well. Although this commentary can occasionally start to narrate the film or become a little praise-heavy, I still throughout it was a largely enjoyable track.
Spring Training: "The Rookie"'s baseball coordinator, Mark Ellis, hosts this section of the DVD, which offers players tips on pitching, catching, fielding and hitting.
Sneak Peeks: "Sneak Peek" trailers for "Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas", "Lilo and Stitch", "Santa Clause 2", "Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition", "Country Bears", "Inspector Gadget 2" and "Monsters Inc."
Also: 4 deleted scenes with introductions to each by director John Lee Hancock.
Final Thoughts: I found "The Rookie" to be a highly entertaining drama that was well-written, well-acted and a genuinely inspirational delight. Disney's DVD edition offers strong audio/video quality and a few good extras. Although it's a few minutes too long, it's definitely a movie the whole family can enjoy. Highly Recommended.
"The Rookie" is an example of a fine film - albeit one that did not carry high expectations - becoming an unexpected success. Star Dennis Quaid is a very good actor, but had not recently proven his box office clout. The combination of the G-rating and 127-minute running time also seemed to be against the feature. However, Disney seemed to have enough confidence in director John Lee Hancock's feature, providing a strong marketing campaign. While David Fincher's "Panic Room" may have won the opening weekend, "The Rookie"'s $16m open was a suprise and continued word-of-mouth took the $22m film north of the $75m mark. The result: not only has Quaid's star risen once again, but director John Lee Hancock has reportedly taken over the high-profile "The Alamo" when Ron Howard's attempt at the project was deemed too costly by Disney.
In a time where audiences are dismayed about a possible baseball strike and the sport's fan-base is quickly falling apart, "The Rookie" does an admirable job recreating the sort of sights, sounds and emotions that made the sport so beloved in the first place. The film stars Dennis Quaid as real-life pitcher Jimmy Morris, who eventually became one of major league's oldest rookies at the age of 35. The film opens with Morris as a child, played by Trevor Morgan. Although it's obvious that the kid has talent, his father (Brian Cox) largely ignores his son's potential. Combine that with the fact that the Texas town's most popular sport isn't baseball, it's football.
As the film flash forwards from childhood to adulthood, we find that Jimmy is still in the same small town, teaching and coaching the school's baseball team, as well. When his players find out the kind of pitches their coach is capable of, they make him a deal: if they actually win the division, Jimmy has to try out for the majors.
I found a lot to like about "The Rookie". Director Hancock, working from a script from Mike Rich (based upon "The Oldest Rookie: Big League Dreams from a Small Town Guy" by Jim Morris and Joel Engel) has a good sense of mood, tone and atmosphere. The film opens with a slow, leisurely pace and continues to move along at that clip. However, the picture allows the well-written and convincingly realistic characters to develop and, as such, the pace doesn't become an issue because the characters are involving. We've seen small town sports films like this a thousand times before, but this one presents enough exciting moments and a strong enough lead performance that the film feels fresh. In addition, several quiet moments are crafted and built-up wonderfully, such as one little moment where Morris uses a slightly malfunctioning highway radar gun to measure his pitching speed.
I enjoyed several of the film's performances, as well. Quaid's relaxed performance was highly entertaining, as the actor clearly portrayed the emotions of a man who is awakening once again now that his dreams are starting to look like they could become reality. Australian actress Rachel Griffiths also has several fine scenes as Morris's wife. Even the baseball players, played by Jay Hernandez ("Crazy/beautiful") and others, are all nicely developed characters.
Other elements worthy of appreciation: the Coen brothers' usual composer Carter Burwell's score, which highlights the emotion of a scene without underlining it or ever becoming too sappy. Hancock's direction is equally enjoyable; in a film that could have been loaded with sappiness, the drama is often very well-played and sincere. I was also impressed that, for a G-rated movie, the lack of foul language felt natural and not as if everything had been toned down. In another stray from the usual, the later portion of the film also doesn't make everything look so easy, showing the work and long hours of a life in baseball.
Also, John Schwartzman ("Armageddon")'s cinematography is beautiful without ever calling attention away from the characters. Jon Johnston's sound design clearly captures every crack of the bat, cheer and ambient sound. Production design, set decoration and art direction are also all excellent. For a $22m production, "The Rookie" achieves a grander appearance than its budget would suggest.
The film is not without concerns, although they're fairly minor. While I enjoyed the pace of the picture and the characters, the 127-minute picture could have been even a little better had it been tightened up by a few minutes. I found the film predictable at a few turns and obviously, anyone who saw the film's trailers knows where it's headed, but I really didn't mind a great deal. Overall, "The Rookie" was a very pleasant surprise - a great family film that's very entertaining, sincere and inspirational.
The DVD
VIDEO: "The Rookie" is presented by Disney in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The film's cinematographer is John Schwartzman, who brings the same sort of eye for idealic images as he has often shown in Michael Bay's films, only here without the speed and fast edits. The result is a film that lovingly captures the surrounding Texas landscape and crafts some classic images.
The DVD's presentation was largely excellent. Sharpness and detail were fine, if not remarkable. The DVD presents the film's occasional slight softness well; while there are occasional moments that appear slightly on the softer side, the image still often remained crisp and well-defined otherwise. Even the softer moments offered enough definition to be pleasant.
Unfortunately, the presentation was not entirely without flaws. While only slight amounts were spotted, there were a few instances of edge enhancement. On a positive note, no pixelation was spotted and the print seemed clean with the exception of the final minute or two of the film, where some specks and marks appeared.
The film's color palette was largely earthy and dry, although some brighter colors occasionally shined through. Colors remained natural and accurate, with no smearing or other faults. Overall, a very nice transfer.
SOUND: "The Rookie" is presented by Disney in Dolby Digital 5.1. The film's sound design is done by Jon Johnston, who recently won an Oscar for his team's incredible work on "U-571". The soundtrack for "The Rookie" isn't nearly as showy, but it does impress on its own more subtle terms. All of the baseball-related sound effects are crisply and clearly captured, while some nice, quiet ambience is often offered, as well. The surrounds are not put to a great deal of use, but they do provide a few minor sound effects and Carter Burwell's score.
In regards to Burwell's score, I very much appreciated the presence it has in the soundtrack. Not only does it fill the room nicely, but it's presented with an usually high amount of warmth, richness and clarity. Dialogue and sound effects also were crisp and natural-sounding.
MENUS:
Both main & sub-menus contain nice, subtle animation and in addition, there are animated (if a little overlong) transitions between main & sub-menus.
EXTRAS:
The Inspirational Story: This 20-minute documentary goes into greater detail about the real Jim Morris, who is interviewed throughout this documentary, which is sort of hosted by screenwriter Mike Rich. We get a bit more detail about Morris's working with the team, while the former major leaguer also gets a chance to relive that first strikeout.
Commentary: This is a commentary from director John Lee Hancock and actor Dennis Quaid. A mostly relaxed and casual chat, the two point out small details about each scene and discuss what they enjoy about the film. Some more technical or production-oriented information is occasionally thrown out, as well. Although this commentary can occasionally start to narrate the film or become a little praise-heavy, I still throughout it was a largely enjoyable track.
Spring Training: "The Rookie"'s baseball coordinator, Mark Ellis, hosts this section of the DVD, which offers players tips on pitching, catching, fielding and hitting.
Sneak Peeks: "Sneak Peek" trailers for "Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas", "Lilo and Stitch", "Santa Clause 2", "Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition", "Country Bears", "Inspector Gadget 2" and "Monsters Inc."
Also: 4 deleted scenes with introductions to each by director John Lee Hancock.
Final Thoughts: I found "The Rookie" to be a highly entertaining drama that was well-written, well-acted and a genuinely inspirational delight. Disney's DVD edition offers strong audio/video quality and a few good extras. Although it's a few minutes too long, it's definitely a movie the whole family can enjoy. Highly Recommended.
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