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Hardball

Published 2025-01-10

Hardball

Film info

  • Title Hardball
  • Director Brian Robbins
  • Year 2001
  • Run time 1hr 46m
  • Genre Drama
  • Tagline The most important thing in life is showing up
  • Cast Keanu Reeves, Michael B. Jordan, D. B. Sweeney

An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.

Live blog

TimeComment
1:54"I've got it. I'm gonna have it." Two very different things.
11:27I secretly enjoy the guy paying someone else to do his bit for the community.
12:28Yay, it's Doug Dorsey!
16:01"It's okay, it's just my head."
25:50Being out after dark is scary enough without cars on fire and the like.
35:24I haven't read A Wrinkle in Time.
39:19I love it when one point means everything because you're being whooped.
41:38Most Valuable Pizza-eater.
47:56Regotiate.
58:36Bureaucracy spoiling everything as usual.
1:09:34"I did quit." I just also have to go back there.
1:12:19How they fitting all those kids in the one car?
1:29:17Brutal. He's so tiny.
1:36:49"We wanna play, bitch."

Thoughts

After two film fails, this was just what we needed - a sports redemption story and bonus Keanu Reeves. It's a good film, the kids are adorable, and it's an enjoyable watch with plenty of emotions along the way. But if you take a step back, it's not exactly original - really just a combination of Mighty Ducks and Dangerous Minds - and it's pretty derivative from start to finish. But definitely worth a watch, either way.

Rating: 3 / 5

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