Synopsis
Jim Morris never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career twelve years ago. Now a married-with-children high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas, Jim's team makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major-league organization. The bet proves incentive enough for the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school. Jim, forced to live up to his end of the deal, is nearly laughed off the try-out field--until he gets onto the mound, where he confounds the scouts (and himself) by clocking successive 98 mph fastballs, good enough for a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jim's still got a lot of pitches to throw before he makes it to The Show, but with his big-league dreams revived, there's no telling where he could go.
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Cast
- Dennis QuaidJimmy Morris
- Rachel GriffithsLorri Morris
- Jay HernandezJoaquin 'Wack' Campos
- Beth GrantOlline
- Angus T. JonesHunter Morris
- Brian CoxJim Morris Sr.
- Rick GonzalezRudy Bonilla
- Chad LindbergJoe David West
- Angelo SpizzirriJoel De La Garza
- Royce D. ApplegateHenry
Recommendations
- 90
The New York Times
Scene by scene, The Rookie does a better job of capturing the rhythms and rituals of the playing field and the electricity that flows between a team and its fans than well-regarded baseball films like "Field of Dreams" and "The Natural." - 83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Works mostly off Quaid's performance. - 80
Salon
Quaid doesn't make the best of the movie's baloney; he presents it to us as a believable truth. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The embodiment of the very message it so modestly conveys -- it's the accomplished little guy we fervently root for. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
Eschews cliches and cuts to the truth. - 75
Boston Globe
It's not afraid to play cornball when it isn't playing baseball, but The Rookie gets away with it. - 75
Philadelphia Inquirer
It's hard not to get caught up in this improbable but true follow-your-dream tale. - 67
Austin Chronicle
Doesn't break any new ground in the baseball movie playbook. However, it does bring it all back home with the assurance of seasoned pro.
