Product Details

• Actors: Edward Asner, Patrick Duffy, Cameron Finley, Tracy Nelson, Drake Bell
• Directors: Dan Guntzelman
• Writers: Dan Guntzelman
• Producers: Dan Guntzelman, Dante Cardone, James Sbardellati
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• VHS Release Date: April 18, 2000
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305803544
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,844 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When a championship-bound coach (Patrick Duffy) adds some notoriously untalented kids to his team on a bet, the players view it as their chance to learn from the master. But the scheming coach has other plans, which include not letting them play. When young Kanin and friends uncover the plot and the coach is dismissed, the team disintegrates--or does it? With the help of Kanin's determined mom (Tracy Nelson) and a past-his-prime coach (a blustery Ed Asner), the multiracial, coed team pulls it together enough to make it to the playoffs, where they face... you guessed it, Duffy and his new team. The latest in a long line of underdog kids sports movies, which started with The Bad New Bears, this 96-minute film from Disney TV has neither the wit nor the grit of its inspiration, but it serves as reasonable family entertainment. Baseball fans will have to forgive its casual approach to the rules of the game, however. (Ages 5 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Far from perfect, April 7, 2004

By 

fra7299 "fra7299" (California, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Perfect Game [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Not only is this movie unoriginal and superficial at its very core, but also its logic is flawed and it is not really a good kids movie.

There are far too many prototypes: the not-so good team coached by a washed-up ex-minor league player, the "evil" coach who has won a string of championships that wants to "rule" the baseball league with another title, the "heart-broken" kid who wants to win for Dad, the mom who wants the best for her little boy, the rise and fall of the "lovable loser" type team, etc. It seems to all be a bunch of one-dimensional and predictable characters that begin to work each and every baseball cliché.

I agree with the reviewer, Brett, who mentioned the flawed logic of this movie. It's hard to exactly know what the message of this movie is. Do the parents want their team to win? Do they want their kids to practice, not to practice? Why do they want them to quit a game that is a passion just because some coach tells them they aren't good enough? The naivety of this movie excels all baseball movies I've seen. Couldn't they put a little more thought into some of these characters?

The slight positive to this movie were the few chuckles that were there. Ed Asner does a decent job as the ex-minor league player turned coach, and has a few good lines:
"Baseball is spelled F-U-N-D-A-M-E-N-T-L-E" ..

"Can you spell irritating, kid?"

However, overall, the lines and the action aren't fun, but rather superficial, and it's ending left me, well, confused (kind of like they just said, "Let's stop the movie right here."). A movie that could have been much more, but failed miserably.

Even if it is just suppose to be a fun movie, Perfect Game doesn't even come across as a true kids movie. I would suggest that if you want a kid's movie with a little more spirit, rent "The Rookie" instead. If you are wanting a good baseball movie period, see "The Natural" or "Field of Dreams."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't be more predictable if it tried., December 1, 2003

By 

Brett Johnson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfect Game (DVD)

Would it have killed the makers of this movie to even attempt to do something worthwhile? This is a kids' baseball movie that has been done too many times already.

The setup: The "evil" coach Bobby Geiser (Patrick Duffy) has won eight consecutive local Little League Championships and all the other coaches are jealous of him. In order to try and even the playing field, Geiser agrees to allow a lot of kids who aren't very good at baseball to be on his team. Our hero, 10 year old Kanin, is going to be on Coach Geiser's team this year. So what's the problem? To be honest, I'm really not sure. The kids' parents flip out when they find out that the coach has been holding extra practices for his good players in order to make sure they stay sharp.

This is where the movie nosedives even further. The parents decide to get rid of the coach and all of the good players on their team. Then they tell their kids that they should just cancel the rest of their season and not even play anymore. It's twisted logic which I can't understand. Why make your kids stop playing a sport they love simply because the coach was holding extra practices? Just goes to show you how parents are ruining youth sports programs these days...even in the movies!

Anyway, I won't spoil how things turn out but I need to get one more gripe off of my chest. In several scenes, the baseball used during the games is not real. It is an extremely poor computer special effect. Has the film industry sunk so low that they can't have a baseball movie using a real baseball? Why use CGI when you don't even have to? This movie has no soul.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars memories, December 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Perfect Game [VHS] (VHS Tape)

reminiscent of the Kenny Roger's hit "The Greatest". Superb acting by young Cameron Finley (Kanin) as he struggles to become a great ball player like his dad. A movie that will surely bring back Little League memories, whether as a player, parent of coach. Great family film for young and old alike.