Million Dollar Arm: Movie Review

It would be a mistake to write off Million Dollar Arm as just another baseball movie. It has more heart than that. Jon Hamm's new release, which happens to be based on an incredible true story, is an exploration of culture and personal identity, pride and humility.

More about the people than the game of baseball, Million Dollar Arm will win audiences' hearts. Rated PG, the Disney film is sure to make parents happy as well.

THE MOVIE IN A MINUTE

Sports agent JB Bernstein (Hamm) is running out of options. His failing business weighs heavy on him, as a big deal falls through. He's about to lose it all when brilliance strikes. Hoping he'll find the next big league athlete, JB travels to India to find a cricket player he can transform into a baseball pitcher worthy of a MLB contract. Teenagers Rinku and Dinesh are plucked out of their small villages and whisked away to America, where nothing really goes as JB had planned.

THE GOOD AND BAD IN MILLION DOLLAR ARM

Million Dollar Arm doesn't offer many surprises along the way, but its heartfelt moments make up for that. America's pastime is a driving force in the movie, but its look at the relationships between this ambitious, results-driven American and these hopeful Indian boys is memorable. Moviegoers are taken on an engaging journey of discovery as they witness these real-life characters out of their elements, the mistakes they make and the consequences of selfishness matched against love.

Rated PG for mild language and some suggestive content, Million Dollar Arm is ready for family-filled audiences. Parents should know that sex is implied in a number of scenes with secondary characters 'sleeping' over. Also, Rinku and Dinesh are seen praying in front of a Hindu altar.

IN THE END

Million Dollar Arm isn't a homerun, but it's a fun, fairly clean film families can enjoy together.