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Hardball

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Hardball (2001)

September. 14,2001
|
6.4
|
PG-13
| Drama
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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.

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Executscan
2001/09/14

Expected more

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Glimmerubro
2001/09/15

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

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Gutsycurene
2001/09/16

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

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Nayan Gough
2001/09/17

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

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gavin6942
2001/09/18

An aimless young man (Keanu Reeves) 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.Keanu Reeves's performance in "Hardball" earned him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actor (also for "Sweet November"), but he lost the award to Tom Green for "Freddy Got Fingered". Interestingly, I see "Freddy" as a misunderstood masterpiece... and hardly think Reeves is bad in "Hardball" (whereas "Sweet November" is just a bad movie).One could complain that this film has the "white savior" problem, with a white man saving the lives (figuratively) of an all-black team. I did not have that issue. There are some familiar plot devices, but all in all it is an enjoyable movie... one that maybe should be re-examined.

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Uriah43
2001/09/19

"Conor O'Neill" (Keanu Reeves) is a gambling addict who is suddenly finding himself in real financial trouble. It gets so bad that he is forced to go to a friend who works in the Chicago stock exchange and begs for $1200 in order to pay off some people it's best not to mess with. Quite unexpectedly, his friend makes him an unusual offer in which he will pay $500 a week if Conor agrees to help him coach a minor league team of black kids living in the projects. It's then that his friend decides to skip out and essentially leaves him all by himself. Although he is promised his money he realizes that in order to field a team he needs two more kids and they are being held back by a mean teacher at the school who refuses to let them play. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that it attempted to combine several different cinematic elements into a fairly cohesive plot and succeeded to a certain extent. For example, it had elements of comedy, drama and romance but none of them seemed to overwhelm the other—at least for the most part. It also starred Diane Lane (as "Elisabeth Wilkes") who is always a welcome addition to any film. On the flip side, however, there were a couple of occasions when the acting just wasn't sufficient for the situation at hand which made the movie seem a bit uneven. Even so, I enjoyed the movie and as a result I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

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tieman64
2001/09/20

A fairly good ball movie, Brian Robbins' "Hardball" stars Keanu Reeves as a chronic gambler who agrees to coach a children's baseball team in the hopes of paying off outstanding debts. Along the way, kids and adults grow, change and learn valuable life lessons.Formulaic? Yes, but "Hardball" does some interesting things. Like "Bad News Bears" it mixes sentimentality with grit, and elsewhere paints a depressing portrait of urban life, specifically the hardships faced by those growing up in Chicago's ABLA housing projects. The film's cinematography is at times novel – lots of redbrick tower blocks, sunbaked pitches and dank bars – and the always ethereal Diane Lane melts the eyes. Based loosely on a true story.7.9/10 – See "Bull Durham" and "Up For Grabs".

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Air_Jordan23
2001/09/21

I don't know why this has such a low rating on IMDb. This is one of the the greatest sports movies of all time. I don't think people can handle how real this movie is. I mean your telling me that a story about kids struggling to grow up in a bad part of town is not as good as people fighting in space? GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! Kids trying to make it in the south side of Chicago. Playing baseball so they don't end up in gangs. Now that is real!This is my second favorite sports movie. It is good/true/sad story and if you are not touched by this movie....Go hide in your fantasy land. If you like real movies you will love this movie! 9/10

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