Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 9, 1993 TAG: 9307090147
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Judging by audience reaction, kids like this light fantasy. Boys and girls who are really into baseball will love it. And why not? It's the story of a 12-year-old who becomes a major league pitcher.
That's only the beginning of the improbable fantasy. The team that he turns into a contender is the Chicago Cubs, and on the screen, they're battling the Mets for National League East title. (For non-fans, the combined records of the Mets and the Cubs put them 39 games out of first place this week.) Like most 12-year-olds, Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) plays baseball with more enthusiasm and excitement than skill. Hard as he tries, nothing comes easy for him. A routine catch turns into a spectacular fall that results in a serious shoulder injury and a summer spent in a cast.
If that weren't enough, his single mom (Amy Morton) seems to be getting\ serious about a real jerk (Bruce Altman).
But when the cast comes off, the tendons have "healed too tight," according\ to the doctor, and Henry has acquired the ability to fire 100+ mph fastballs.\ When the Cubs' conniving boss, Fish Fisher (Dan Hedaya) discovers this young\ phenom, he hires him as a publicity stunt.
There's little chance that the pitching coach Brickma (director Daniel\ Stern) will help the boy. (Brickma's three R's of pitching are "readiness,\ recuperation and conditioning.") And veteran pitcher Chet Steadman (Gary\ Busey) is so burned out and self-centered that he wants nothing to do with\ Henry.
Other subplots involve Henry's relationship with his friends, and efforts\ to turn him into a celebrity with product endorsements. Neither is as fully\ developed as it could have been, particularly the latter, but perhaps that's\ just as well. The ugly realities of professional sports hype have no place in\ this kind of movie. The relationship between Henry and his mother is much more\ important to the story, and it's handled unusually well.
Overall, Stern does good work behind the camera. His directorial experience\ has been in television with the fine series, "The Wonder Years." He got an\ unaffected, natural performance from his young star, and from the grown-ups.\ Sam Harper's script isn't as sharp or focused as it might have been, but\ that's not a serious flaw, either.
Despite the gimmicky formula plot, the ending manages to spring a surprise\ or two. All the way through, "Rookie of the Year" is about being a kid and\ playing a game for the sheer fun of it, and there's nothing wrong with either\ of those.
Rookie of the Year: **1/2
A 20th Century Fox release playing at the Tanglewood Mall Cinema. 101 min. Rated PG for rough language.
by CNB