Starring: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandavi, Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Lake Bell, Pitobash, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal
Directed By: Craig Gillespie
There are definitely better sports movies, or baseball dramas. Heck, there are better Disney sports movies. Way better. It’s not that this movie is bad, rather it is just incredibly average. No wonder it is slipping through the cracks at the box office. There’s nothing special about this film. Unlike Miracle, which has a great speech, Million Dollar Arm doesn’t have that great big inspirational moment.
Maybe it’s because Jon Hamm is very typecasted here in a modern day Don Draper role. Not quite as big of a womanizer, but for a Disney film, he does get around. Aasif Mandavi is just not a strong enough dramatic actor yet. But, I suppose we all start somewhere. Alan Arkin was good in his role, as was Lake Bell (even if Bell and Hamm have ZERO chemistry). Bill Paxton is getting OLD. Like… holy cow old. The Indian actors all do fine jobs, including Sharma (who you might remember from Life Of Pi).
The movie just isn’t written with entertainment in mind. There are almost no real punchlines or jokes. I’m fairly certain I didn’t laugh… ever. I did toss and turn in my seat, and wonder when the movie was going to end. For a movie that runs about 2 hours, it felt much longer. About an hour in, I was sure the movie was about to be over… I was so wrong.
Again, it’s not a bad movie, it’s just an average movie. Probably will play well on Lifetime, or should have even premiered there. This is not the film that will launch Jon Hamm’s career. Somehow, I feel like Hollywood will give him a different starring vehicle to test him out with… a second time, much like the boys in this film get their second chance.
Side note: while the film has its heart in the right place, championing the idea that Indians can play baseball, these two boys faded into instant obscurity. They only played in the minor leagues, and one of the boys has already been released from his contract (after two seasons). Neither boy ever played a major league game.
FINAL GRADE: C+
