Customer Reviews

Talent for the Game

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

a very good, very underrated movie about a pitching scout, who help a young pitching ace realize his dream of making the big leagues.the casting is wonderful.a loving ode to baseball. get it !

Although the story is light on originality, this is a great family movie about a small town boy getting his break in the big city. The movie boasts big acting talent with Edward James Olmos ("Stand and Deliver") and Lorraine Bracco (nominated for an Oscar for her role in "Goodfellas"). The first half of the film is filled with wonderful cinematography of the beautiful landscapes of northern Idaho where Virgil Sweet (Olmos), a major league scout, finds the next pitching phenom, Sammy Bodeen (Jeff Corbett). Sweet just has to convince the town's stubborn preacher to let his son, Bodeen, go fulfill his dream of becoming a baseball star. Things unfortunately do not go as planned when the team owner tries to exploit Bodeen. Almost overcome by the high expectations placed on him, Bodeen finds success through the help (and trickery) of Sweet. "A Talent for the Game" is a movie about overcoming the odds, and leaves you feeling great!

Edward James Olmos is a great actor. He is the only reason that I gave this movie even a '2 rating'.

This was a very disappointing, far from memorable movie. I will probably pass it on to one of my grandsons who likes baseball.

I found this movie to be boring and predictable.

This is simply one of the best (and most realistic) baseball movies ever, and I've seen them all.

This movie is about a baseball scout who finds a player at the last minute just before he is released by the new owner of the team. It sets in play an excellent story line and viewers get to see another side of the game. Excellent video.

I love the movie because it was made in the small town where I grew up. They gave the baseball field a makeover and everything for us. When Edward James Olmos was there he let the kids sit on his lap and gave me a kiss! How sweet! It really depicts our town and I love the movie because of that. When I'm homesick I look back at it and remember Genesee,ID. That is why I'm buying it now! The movie is not fabulous, but it is a great family movie.

If you are a James Almos fan this is a must movie for you collection. He does a fantastic acting job and it's a very good story.

I saw this movie a few years back and loved it. The character development is great and the story is wonderful. I just bought it on DVD and will watch it often.

Even though this movie did not win everyone's heart ( and I understand),this was a good baseball movie about overcoming the odds. A fine cast with Edward James Olmos as a baseball scout in search of a player from the fields of Idaho to help the stuggling California (now L.A. Angels of Anaheim) Angels. One thing that made me wonder in the closing minutes of the movie. The Angels were down but the movie never mentioned if the Angels won their game over the Royals! It's a mystery! Anyway I thought it was a good movie worth watching!

In spite of a talented cast, this movie is pretty poor, I couldn't even watch it the whole way, and I love baseball movies. That might be part of it, if you know any thing about baseball, important parts of the plot are just too fantastic, too illogical, too incredulous to accept, even for a couple of hours while watching a movie. The lines are so poor even Almos, one of the most talented actors of his time, is unable to sound convincing (he says "son" so often he'll actually get on your nerves). Bracco and Almos don't pull off the couple in love, and the pitcher is poorly casted, he doesn't look like an "Idaho farm boy," he looks as old as the other players, and his dumbfounded look, meant to accentuate his innocence, will also begin to grate quickly. If you love Edward Almos, go get "Stand and Deliver," a true story masterpiece, and posssibly the acme of his acting career, but you never know with him. If you like Bracco, she's better in virtually every other movie (though it is funny that in this movie she has a master's in psychology, and she goes on to become Tony Soprano's shrink), I really liked her live when she did Mrs. Robinson, "The Graduate" on stage. If you're looking for a sad baseball movie, try "Bang the Drum Slowly," if you're looking for a "Dying breed" themed baseball movie, try "Bull Durham," if you want a funny baseball movie I'd suggest "Mr. Baseball," or "Major League," or if you want a family baseball movie with a deeper message, "In a League of their Own," or "61."