Review of Million Dollar Arm (2014) by David S — 14 May 2014

Schmaltzy? Well, a little. Corny? Sure. Still...If you love sports, or feel good stories, or fish out of water tales, (and people do) here's your movie. Like Draft Day and Trouble With The Curve this sports movie takes place off the field.

Jon Hamm plays an agent with a floundering business. One night he's watching cricket and notices that the players can throw hard. Hmm...India is seen as the last untapped market. So he goes there in search of a pitcher or two.

After some (major) bumps in the road he finds two prospects, Dinesh and Rinku. He brings these unschooled kids to Los Angeles. Here, the movie follows a predictable, if true path. Throw in a romance that doesn't quite work and the film starts to wobble a bit.

Still, when the big moment comes, a second tryout for pro scouts, their first tryout being a disaster, it's hard not to be excited. This is the combined magic of sports and true stories. While Million Dollar Arm works, I can't help but wonder if it would have worked better if it wasn't so Disneyfied? Guess we'll never know.