Million Dollar Arm

2014 true story movie

Rating: 13/20

Plot: An aspiring agent travels to India to look for major league pitching talent.

In the excitement of those Fast and Furious movies, I actually forgot that I watched this. The coolest man I've ever met recommended this to me, and I was in the mood for a feel-good baseball movie. Since it's a feel-good baseball movie--on top of that, one from the Disney people--you know exactly how it's going to go. This pretty much takes the trajectory you expect, but if you're looking for lots of baseball, you'll probably be disappointed. Unfortunately, this is more about Jon Hamm's character arc than it is about the two Indian kids trying to crack the big leagues. And Jon Hamm's character is really an unlikable guy, so he's not easy to root for. What I wasn't expecting was that this movie would be so funny. You've got a pair of fish-out-of-water stories here. Hamm's character is in an India he doesn't understand. Almost weirdly, the Disney people make it seem like the Indian people are the oddballs, however, and that white-guy Jon Hamm is the only person who fits in. It's strange. Then, you've got the Indian kids trying to make sense of America, our hotels, and our pizzas. That pair of baseball prospects is likable, and so is the little guy who comes along with him. Funniest of all is Alan Arkin as a scout. I think he was a scout anyway. He's settled into these curmudgeonly roles so well. This throws loud hip hop music, a relationship subplot with Lake Bell, and unfortunately some Bill Paxton. I consider it a minor victory, however, since I didn't really feel like punching Bill Paxton's character even once during this. Jon Hamm, on the other hand? I wouldn't have minded punching him. And I guess that's what keeps this from being a good sports movie. It's so much about a character you don't even like, and the parts that probably sold this movie when it was being pitched aren't in the forefront.