This is now in theatres, fresh for Labor Day weekend. I got the opportunity to have an advance screener copy, but my midweek was just nuts. So, basically it looks like I saw this on opening day, but I got my screener a few days ago. In many ways, I’m an oddly ideal critic for this. No, it does not have audio description. But, I do live in the Central Florida area, specifically orlando, and the hype has been real as Lake Mary won the Little Leage World Series this year. it is a town just a hop, skip, and a jump away. This movie is about a real little league team in 2002 and their road to that very World Series. This is called expert timing. don’t underestimate the folks at Well Go, as they have landed this thing right after everyone was thinking about the little League World Series, which people honestly rarely do.
This is based on a true story, and while I’m sure people would like to avoid spoilers, I’m more of the opinion that some stuff you just have to tell people so the average Joe can have a conceptual understanding of what this is. you gotta believe stars Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear as two best friends who coach a little league team that is terrible. All of these teams in every movie like this ever seem to always be terrible. no coach seems to hop in on an average team, or a mid-tier team. It is always a group of kids who seem like they’re functionally incapable of playing the given sport. From The Mighty Ducks, The Big Green, Hardball, Bad News Bears, to even something like Rudy, the kids always have spunk and personality, but they lack athletic prowess.
I’m not entirely sure who this film is for. I’m going with dads. This is a dad film. Kids likely will be a little bored, as this is very much not The Sandlot. these history making kids are saddled with the hard truth that Luke Wilson has cancer, and his son (who is on the team) is his inspiration, and he just wants to watch his son play baseball. As his best friend, Kinnear agrees to take this ragtag team and shape them up and make a run for the World Series, so Wilson can watch his son play as he e battles cancer, and these boys play better because Wilson is maybe dying. I won’t spoil that part, because I was more interested in his fate than whether the kids win. the kids are largely underdeveloped, and needed more distinct personalities.
While there is a prayer sequence, this isn’t faith based. You can have someone who has a cancer diagnoses pray. That doesn’t make this faith based cinema. however, there is nothing objectionable in the film. Wilson does nice work here, despite the lack of audio description. kinnear’s character is very bland. this is a cancer drama, disguised somewhat as a sports films.
So, the real problem here is the lack of audio description. I’m very much an open book, and try to always say everything so you can decide a bout my bias. I’m not grading this. I had an encouraging discussion about audio description with the Well Go rep, and I’d like to work toward building a bridge here. But, I also can’t grade it. I can’t because for me it is incomplete. there are scenes here, things that are complete visual cues that can’t be followed without audio description. basically, every baseball segment. Luke Wilson’s performance is a bit stunted, as there’s no audio description to compliment his choices. Even the supporting cast could benefit from this.
There’s no representation present, so aside from the actors I know, like Wilson, Kinnear, and Molly Parker, I do not know what the diversity breakdown is from watching this film. representation matters. If I was a blind film critic of color, I might be looking for someone who looks like me, and the two big leads here are both white guys.
This extends to not knowing what the uniforms look like, what the crowds look like in size, anyone’s home, the cars they drive, the effort to make it look like 2002, or literally dozens of other visual choices. From cinematography and costume design, to production design and hair and makeup, to basic facial expressions and what a person looks like, when there’s no audio description, it is like stripping away all of that artistry and asking a blind audience to just… chill. But, too frequently, we aren’t offered accessibility, and it is deeply frustrating.
My olive branch is to not saddle this with an official “unwatchable” grade that I put on almost every film that lacks audio description, but at the same time, I can’t recommend this to a blind and visually impaired audience. I can, however, say that if you are a sighted reader, I think this film is not the worst option. I’d be leaning fresh if I was Tomatometer approved. It is a pretty simple cancer drama that feels like the film version of Tim McGraw’s Live Like you were Dying song from around this same time period. Fathers and sons will fill this audience, I just wish they had cast any of the numerous talented young actors working today to match Wilson’s energy. Mason Thames or Walker Scobell would have been great here, if they aren’t a little too old. Both young actors have the range, and really would have sold that dynamic. It’s all up to Wilson, and that is still not a bad thing. It’s just not a great thing.
Final Grade: ?
